Germany has banned Greece’s former finance minister from speaking in the country even through online means, amid Berlin’s increasing crackdown on freedom of speech regarding Palestine and Israel.

In a statement on X, former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis announced that “Germany’s Interior Ministry has issued a ‘Betätigungsverbot’ against me, a ban on any political activity. Not just a ban on visiting Germany but also from participation via Zoom.”

The ban was reportedly caused by a speech Varoufakis published on multiple platforms including X, in which he advocated for the rights of Palestinians and condemned Israel’s ongoing offensive on Gaza and the genocide it is committing there.

“You accuse us of antisemitic hatred. We accuse you of being the antisemite’s best friend by equating the right of Israel to commit war crimes with the right of Israeli Jews to defend themselves”, he stated. “You accuse us of supporting terrorism. We accuse you of equating legitimate resistance to an apartheid state with atrocities against civilians which I have always and will always condemn, whoever commits them — Palestinians, Jewish settlers, my own family, whoever.”

  • febra@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    German democracy is dying. Think about Varoufakis whatever you want but when the far right will have the same tools that this government has put in place it won’t be just greek lefties they’re going after

    • Linkerbaan@lemmy.worldOP
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      7 months ago

      No need for the far right. The Nazis supporting Genocide are running Germany right now. They are full steam ahead on anti-Semitism and round up Jews that speak out against it.

      Didn’t need to wait for the AfD to win. The Social Democrats already converted to National Socialists.

      • febra@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        Yeah. They also arrested a jewish guy for flying a sign with “jews against genocide”. Apparently for the german police that counts as “hate speech”. This country is becoming a joke