Germany's Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger has lashed out at a letter of support from around 100 educators at Berlin universities in favour of pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
"This statement from educators at Berlin universities is staggering. Instead of taking a clear stand against hatred of Israel and Jews, university occupiers are being turned into the victims and violence trivialized," she told Germany's tabloid Bild newspaper in remarks published on Thursday.
On Tuesday, around 150 activists attempted to occupy a courtyard and set up tents at Berlin's Free University. The school quickly called in the police and had the area cleared.
The police reported on Wednesday that 79 people had been temporarily detained, including 49 women and 30 men, and that 80 criminal investigations and 79 misdemeanour proceedings had been initiated.
In a declaration titled "Statement from Lecturers at Berlin Universities," around 100 lecturers from several Berlin universities wrote: "Regardless of whether we agree with the specific demands of the protest camp, we stand with our students and defend their right to peaceful protest."
"We call on the Berlin university management to refrain from police operations against their own students as well as from further criminal prosecution," the statement continued.
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner backed Stark-Watzinger.
"I have absolutely no sympathy for the authors of this pamphlet," the mayor, who is from the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, told Bild. Stark-Watzinger is a member of the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP).
Berlin universities are and will remain places of knowledge, critical discourse and open exchange, Wegner said, "However, anti-Semitism and hatred of Israel are not expressions of opinion, but criminal offences."
The President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, told Bild that the activists were less concerned with the suffering of the people in Gaza than with their hatred of Israel and Jews.
The ambassador of the Palestinian Authority in Germany, Laith Arafeh, on the other hand, pointed out the importance of free speech with regard to protests.
The ambassador told dpa that the scope for freedom of expression and academic freedom with regard to Israel and the Gaza war was constantly shrinking.
"We condemn all forms of fanaticism, including anti-Semitism," he said. "We also condemn the systematic use of false accusations of anti-Semitism against all voices calling for an end to the war."
Arafeh stressed that he was not voicing support for the student protests.
"I am not in a position to take such position. As a diplomat I refrain from interfering in internal matters," the ambassador explained.
"But I do support everyone’s right to free expression, everyone’s right to free speech, everywhere all the time. That is a universal human right that should be safeguarded by all, and it is everyone’s duty to act when it is being violated," he added.
