• Four individuals (from the US, Poland, and Ireland) face deportation orders for alleged involvement in pro-Palestine protests in Berlin, despite no criminal convictions.
• Legal experts argue that these measures, compared to US tactics to suppress dissent, represent an overreach amid Germany’s contentious political stance on Israel.
On Tuesday immigration authorities in Germany issued deportation orders under German migration law for four individuals, namely, Cooper Longbottom, Kasia Wlaszczyk, Shane O’Brien, and Roberta Murray, who are citizens of the United States, Poland, and Ireland. None of these individuals have been convicted of any crimes, and the orders are scheduled to take effect in less than a month.
The head of Berlin’s immigration agency issued this action amid significant political pressure and internal dissent. According to The Intercept, much of this discord stems from the fact that three of the targets are citizens of European Union member states, which typically benefit from the freedom of movement within the EU.
Legal experts have drawn comparisons between these deportation orders and similar actions in Washington, where such measures have been used to suppress voices against the ongoing barbaric genocide taking place in Gaza, social movements and pro-Palestine activism. As lawyer Alexander Gorski, who represents two of the protesters, stated,
“What we’re seeing here is straight out of the far right’s playbook.”
He added,
“You can see it in the U.S. and Germany, too: political dissent is silenced by targeting the migration status of protesters.”
Gorski further remarked,
“From a legal perspective, we were alarmed by the reasoning, which reminded us of the case of Mahmoud Khalil.”
Gorski was referring to Mahmoud Khalil—the Palestinian Columbia University graduate and U.S. permanent resident who was apprehended from his apartment on allegations related to campus pro-Palestine activities.
Thomas Oberhäuser, a lawyer and chair of the executive committee on migration law at the German Bar Association, explained that under German migration law, authorities do not require a criminal conviction to issue a deportation order. He commented,
“The key question is: How severe is the threat and how proportionate the response? If someone is being expelled simply for their political beliefs, that’s a massive overreach.”
Each of the four individuals faces separate allegations from German authorities connected to pro-Palestine protests and activism in Berlin. These protests include a mass sit-in at Berlin’s central train station, a road blockade, and the occupation of a building at the Free University Berlin in late 2024. The only common allegation linking the four cases is that the protesters participated in the university occupation—an event associated with property damage and an alleged obstruction of an arrest. Notably, none of the protesters have been charged with specific acts of vandalism or obstruction at the university; rather, the deportation orders are based on suspicions of coordinated group action.
Germany has long been a steadfast supporter of Israel’s massacre of innocent Palestinians. Germany’s lethal arms exports to the occupied territories surged tenfold, positioning it as an active participant in the genocide. In November, despite warnings that it infringes on fundamental freedoms and might suppress criticism of the occupying regime, the German parliament approved the resolution endorsing Israel. The non-binding motion, titled “Never Again is Now: Protecting, Preserving, and Strengthening Jewish Life in Germany,” advocates for banning public funding to any organisation
“that spreads anti-Semitism, calls into question Israel’s right to exist or calls for a boycott of Israel.”
According to the resolution, those responsible for what is characterised as “anti-Semitic” actions in schools and universities should face exclusion from classes or even expulsion. Numerous civil society groups and intellectuals, including leading Jewish scholars, have condemned the resolution, cautioning that it infringes upon fundamental rights such as free expression, free assembly, academic freedom, and artistic freedom.
