The German government has agreed to ban the flag of Hamas following a number of anti-Semitic incidents at anti-Israel rallies in the country last month.
The proposal was reportedly an initiative of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU).The center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) had initially raised constitutional concerns regarding the proposal, but later backed the initiative.
Deputy parliamentary spokesman for the CDU Thorsten Frei called the move “a clear signal to our Jewish citizens.”
“We do not want the flags of terrorist organizations to be waved on German soil,” he added.
“I’m very pleased that the SPD has joined our initiative. In doing so, we can send a clear signal to our Jewish citizens,” Frei said.
CDU chancellor candidate Armin Laschet had also called for the Hamas flag to be banned last month in response to antisemitic activities in Germany.
Synagogues were attacked, Israeli flags were burned and antisemitic slurs were used in cities across Germany in May amid demonstrations against Israel’s 11-day war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Last year, the German Interior Ministry announced a ban of Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah and designated it a terrorist organization. The move made it illegal to show public support for Hezbollah, including the waving of the group’s flag.