Following a rally by Islamists in Hanover, the German-Israeli Society is calling for a ban on the Islamist group “Generation Islam”. The group had called for the rally with 1,200 participants on Saturday, but it was registered by an individual.
“Generation Islam” is a successor organization to the Hizb ut-Tahrir organization, which was banned in 2003, argued the President of the German-Israeli Society, Volker Beck. In fact, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies the group “Generation Islam” as part of Hizb ut-Tahrir.
The demonstration on Saturday also showed that the group was inciting young Muslims and was clearly against the constitutional order, said Beck. Beck referred to a video of a speech published by the “Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung” in which Israel was accused of genocide against the Palestinians.
The official motto of the rally was “Suffering of the Palestinians. Current situation in Gaza (Rafah)”, but in fact anti-Israel, anti-Western and Islamist slogans were also spread. The participants used posters to protest against nation states and the post-war order in the Middle East – in line with the spirit of Hizb ut-Tahrir, which dreams of a Muslim caliphate. The police had forbidden the demonstrators from explicitly using the term “caliphate”.
Because “Generation Islam” avoids making criminal statements, no action can be taken against them under assembly law, said Beck. The court ruling on Saturday also showed this, said Beck.
The state security service had banned the demonstration in advance, but the Hanover administrative court granted the Islamists short-term permission to hold the rally on Saturday. According to the police, the demonstration remained peaceful.
