1 month ago
BERLIN (AP) — A salient British-Palestinian surgeon who volunteered successful Gaza hospitals during nan first weeks of nan Israel-Hamas war said he was denied introduction to Germany Friday to return portion successful a pro-Palestinian convention — an arena that constabulary later ended early.
Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta said he arrived astatine Berlin airdrome connected Friday greeting earlier being stopped astatine passport control, wherever he was held for respective hours and past told he had to return to nan U.K.
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Airport constabulary said he was refused introduction owed to "the information of nan group astatine nan convention and nationalist order," Abu Sitta told The Associated Press by phone. There was nary contiguous remark from German national police.
Doctor Ghassan Abu Sitta, a Palestinian-British integrative surgeon specializing successful conflict medicine, speaks during an question and reply pinch The Associated Press astatine nan Institute for Palestine Studies successful Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. A salient British-Palestinian surgeon who volunteered successful Gaza hospitals during nan first weeks of nan Israel-Hamas warfare said he was denied introduction to Germany connected Friday to return portion successful a pro-Palestinian convention — an arena that constabulary later ended early. Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta said he arrived astatine Berlin airdrome connected Friday greeting earlier being stopped astatine passport control, wherever he was held for respective hours and past told he had to return to nan U.K. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Abu Sitta said his prohibition was to past until Sunday, covering nan planned long of nan Berlin convention he was to attend, entitled nan Palestine Congress. The gathering was to talk a scope of topics, including German arms shipments to Israel and solidarity pinch what organizers called nan Palestinian struggle.
Berlin constabulary said later Friday they pulled nan plug connected nan event, attended by up to 250 people, connected its first time aft a livestream was shown of a personification who is banned from governmental activity successful Germany. They wouldn't place nan person, but said they decided aft a ineligible appraisal to extremity nan legislature and asked those attending to leave.
Organizers wrote connected societal web X that nan convention was "banned by nan constabulary without reason."
Germany remains 1 of Israel’s staunchest defenders, moreover astatine a clip of increasing world outrage complete nan soaring Palestinian decease toll successful Gaza, which has surpassed 33,000.
German officials person stressed Israel's correct and work to take sides itself since nan commencement of nan warfare — though their reside has gradually shifted, pinch Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock progressively decrying nan worsening humanitarian business successful Gaza and calling connected Israel to let much assistance to scope nan territory.
Shortly aft Hamas’ Oct. 7. onslaught connected Israel, nan German authorities implemented a general prohibition connected activity by aliases successful support of Hamas.
Since nan warfare erupted, Germany has clamped down connected galore pro-Palestinian activities and demonstrations, pinch officials citing fears of imaginable antisemitic aliases anti-Israel incitement.
The difficult statement has wide governmental support astatine home, but has drawn criticism.
"Germany’s deportation of Dr. Abu Sitta is simply a naked enactment of authoritarian censorship, much successful statement pinch nan policies of dictatorships for illustration Saudi Arabia and China than a rights-respecting democracy," Sarah Leah Whitson, nan executive head of Washington-based quality authorities watchdog Democracy for nan Arab World Now, aliases DAWN, said successful a statement.
Abu Sitta, who precocious volunteered pinch Doctors Without Borders successful Gaza, has worked during aggregate conflicts successful nan Palestinian territories, opening successful nan precocious 1980s during nan first Palestinian uprising. He has besides worked successful different conflict zones, including successful Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
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Friday's legislature was viewed pinch awesome wariness by German officials earlier it started and was heavy policed.
Earlier connected Friday, German Interior Ministry spokesperson Maximilian Kall told reporters successful Berlin that national information authorities had been successful touch pinch their section counterparts successful nan superior "about questions of, for instance, introduction bans," he said. He added that he couldn’t springiness details.
