“Breaking news: Germany has adopted a new resolution aimed at sanctioning criticism of Israel with the withdrawal of citizenship. » This is the assertion that we have been reading for several days in publications shared by several influential accounts.
Here for example, a post on X from the media “red. “, viewed more than a million times, indicates (in English) that this new resolution aims to “qualify criticism of Israel as ‘anti-Semitism’ and sanction offenders” and “in cases the most serious, punish by revoking citizenship. Other publications are even more categorical, saying that Germany “will strip citizenship of those found to have criticized Israel.”
FAKE OFF
These claims are inaccurate. “As it stands, no provision has been passed to allow a person to have their German nationality revoked due to activities deemed anti-Semitic,” explains Bénédicte Laumond, lecturer in Political Science and specialist in Germany. They surely find their source in various recent news stories about the fight against anti-Semitism which have been the subject of controversy.
Last week, the adoption of a controversial resolution
On Thursday, November 7, the lower house of the German Parliament voted to adopt a resolution aimed at “Protecting, preserving and strengthening Jewish life in Germany.” This text (here in German), which addresses a series of projects to increase the repressive arsenal, is singled out because of the definition of anti-Semitism that it adopts. « The Bundestag [assemblée parlementaire] reaffirms its decision to ensure that no organization or project that propagates anti-Semitism, questions Israel’s right to exist, calls for a boycott of Israel, or actively supports the BDS movement [Boycott Désinvestissement Sanctions, contre la colonisation israélienne] not be funded,” the resolution states.
« Elle [la résolution] is controversial due to the definition of anti-Semitism (based on that of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance [IHRA]): this definition is judged by important researchers to be too vague” explains Aurore Gaillet, professor of public law at Toulouse Capitole University and specialist in German law. The IHRA definition of anti-Semitism, recognized by France in 2019, includes anti-Zionism.
“The resolution speaks of the need to take broader repressive measures against anti-Semitism. Among the areas highlighted, the right to asylum or the legislation linked to the acquisition of German nationality,” supports Bénédicte Laumond. “The question of nationality is raised, but there is nothing concrete at the moment,” adds Aurore Gaillet, “The content of the motion is not legally binding, but could have a political impact.”
The question of anti-Semitism integrated into asylum requests
The rumor also certainly finds its source in the new rules on naturalization in force since June 2024. The latter now explicitly include the question of anti-Semitism as a reason for rejecting a citizenship application, and make a commitment to “protect Jewish life” a condition.
When this law came into force, numerous media, particularly French, announced that recognition of “Israel’s right to exist” was now a required condition for acquiring German nationality. This reading has been qualified by several German media such as The Local, which indicates that “there is no part of the German citizenship application process under the new law where the applicant must verbally declare or sign a document recognizing the Israel’s right to exist.
However, as reported in an article in Deutsche Welle, Germany’s public service media, questioning Israel’s right to exist could be considered “an anti-Semitic attitude.” [et donc constituer un obstacle à la naturalisation] if this was justified by “the assertion that the existence of the State of Israel is a racist enterprise”, as provided for in the IHRA definition, which serves as a reference for the federal government. » Note the exception of the Land of Saxony-Anhalt, which explicitly requests Israel’s right to exist as a condition for naturalization.
Discussions around the forfeiture of dual nationals guilty of anti-Semitism
Neither of these two measures therefore concretely provides for forfeiture of nationality due to activities deemed anti-Semitic. But as the German press reports, this measure is the subject of discussions across the Rhine. The magazine Focus exposed in October the disagreements between ministers from different Landers around the question of the revocation of German citizenship for dual nationals who have committed anti-Semitic crimes.
“A survey carried out by FOCUS among the relevant ministries of the 16 federal states showed that Bavaria, Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Schleswig-Holstein, Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate are open to a change in this regard. sense of nationality law,” writes the magazine.
