System Change Camp in Frankfurt: City criticizes anti-Semitic tendencies!

System Change Camp in Frankfurt: City criticizes anti-Semitic tendencies!

In Frankfurt, the “System Change Camp” in Grüneburgpark is causing a heated debate. Despite massive criticism from city officials and the Jewish community, up to 1,000 people gathered in the park on Saturday to take part in workshops on topics such as criticism of capitalism, feminism and climate change. This non-violent gathering remained peaceful until late afternoon, apart from an physical attack on a group of Jews. The police have increased their presence in the park in order to keep the situation under control and to counteract expressive anti-Semitism, which is of utmost importance in the current situation, according to Mayor Mike Josef (SPD), who emphasizes that one should show tolerance towards expressions of opinion, but not towards anti-Semitic violence. This is reported by the FAZ.

The accusation of “incitement against Israel” hovers over the camp, which has triggered a real outcry in politics and the Jewish community. This describes the camp as “tasteless” and warns of a “dangerous political mistake”. Concerns were particularly raised by the sighting of Palestinian scarves and a Palestinian flag during a tour. Benjamin Graumann, chairman of the Jewish Community of Frankfurt, criticizes the approach to the topic and the appearance of the “Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East” association, which is known to be critical of Israel and for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Graumann sees this as a clear incitement against Israel. The FR also reports that FDP politicians hung pictures of Hamas hostages on the camp's construction fence, but the camp residents removed them.

Criticism and resistance

The political landscape is divided, as some representatives of the Green Party are calling for the camp to be dismantled, while others, such as the responsible department head Tina Zapf-Rodriguez (The Greens) and public order head Annette Rinn (FDP), had previously given permission for the camp. In addition, a 2012 ruling by the Frankfurt Administrative Court said that tents could be banned in Grüneburg Park, which calls into question the decision of the assembly authority, which ignored the ruling.

Again Constitution blog Notes, bans on gatherings in Germany are only possible under strict guidelines. An increase in anti-Semitic incidents since the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023 shows the need for a critical examination of anti-Semitism within the framework of the right to assembly. The associated incidents and their consequences must play a central role when assessing current events.

Current events make it clear that social tensions are not easing and that dialogue between the different political camps is not always easy. Tents are scheduled to be dismantled on August 24, the last day of the camp, while discussions about anti-Semitism and politics will continue. It will be interesting to see how the situation develops after the camp and whether the concerns of the Jewish community and other critics will be heard.