PRESS RELEASE: BT3P file lawsuit to force parliamentary seminar in Bundestag on BDS

On May 9, 2023, Berlin-based attorney Ahmed Abed filed a lawsuit against the German Bundestag on behalf of BT3P at the Administrative Court of Berlin (Case No. A 7512/23). The aim is to prevent the holding of a parliamentary seminar entitled "The current position of the parliamentary groups in the Bundestag and the federal government on the BDS movement. What impact does the BDS resolution of 17.5.2019 have on human rights work and freedom of expression in Germany?".

More than 50 interested people had registered in advance for this seminar, including former members of the German Bundestag (such as Annette Groth and Prof. Norman Paech), the rapper Hanybal, several young activists* or even the German-Israeli historian Prof. Moshe Zuckermann. In addition, members and representatives of various Palestinian groups, BDS groups, Jewish peace groups, churches, trade unions and German civil society were among the co-applicants for this seminar.

The Bundestag had twice rejected the holding of the parliamentary seminar. According to the Bundestag, a situation was threatening in which the parliamentarians would be confronted "with their own, already firmly established position" (of the participants) on Israel/Palestine (letter from the Bundestag dated 11.11.2022, reference: IK 1/21-2023-04).

Attorney Abed comments on this view in his statement of claim as follows:
"The democratic exchange consists precisely in exchanging different opinions. (...) The idea of the defendant that citizens should only be recipients and multipliers of the opinions of parliamentarians is contrary to the parliamentary principles of a democratic state and alienates."

Amir Ali, BT3P Team:
"You have to think about it: In rejecting the seminar, the Bundestag did not dare to choose its own resolution as justification. Instead, he chooses anti-democratic excuses. We will not let up and demand that the German Bundestag finally deal with Palestinian human rights, international jurisprudence on Israel and Palestine, and the Palestinian BDS movement in a proper manner and discuss them with critical civil society."

Judith Bernstein, BT3P Team:
"Just last week I was able to celebrate a legal success against the former mayor of Frankfurt and ex-chairman of the German-Israeli Society DIG. He had portrayed me - a descendant of survivors of the Shoah - as a sympathizer of anti-Semites. And this only because I am convinced that Palestinians deserve freedom and justice. A very similar logic is regularly followed by top German politicians- I want to take the parliamentarians to task on these issues and hope for a delayed parliamentary seminar!"

Press contact: team@bt3p.org