The match itself did not abound with abrupt twists of action, and the Germans smoothly won it 2:0. There was more excitement in the stands. At 1 point on the side of Israeli fans alongside national flags appeared banners with the inscription "Bring them home" referring to hostages kidnapped in terrorist attacks on October 7 by Hamas. Right next door, there were pictures of the kidnapped. The banners caused controversy.
First of all, FIFA (International Football Federation) maintains that it is against any political banners during matches, regardless of their message, although that is not entirely true. After all, she herself was eager to support her lavishly paying dictatorships and tyrants in the area where she organized her tournaments (Russia, Qatar), with simultaneous messages from the planet of liberal democracy. It is worth recalling in this context the embarrassing performance of Gianni Infantino's head of organization, who in 2022 wanted to emphasize how much he understood disadvantaged groups he said that present he felt "gay, woman, disabled" etc.
Anyway, the safety at Halle went to take off the banner due to the fact that it was political. The online commentariat did not leave a dry thread on the organizers, claiming that their decision was exaggerated, and the "bringing them home" postulate is as innocent as the rainbow bands that the captains of their representations wear worldwide (thus supporting LGBT minorities). But the local diary “Mitteldeutsche Zeitung” points to something else. It turned out that banners caused a very bad reaction of German fans who started screaming and demanding to download them. This was most likely due to the presence at matches of fans of arabian origin who unconditionally support Palestine in the mediate East conflict.
Im U21-Fußballspiel zwischen Deutschland und Israel heute Abend in Halle kamen israelische Fans mit einem Banner zum Spiel, das die Rückkehr der Entführten forderte. Die Sicherheitskräfte verlangten, das Banner nicht zu zeigen, und entzogen es dem Israelischen Publisher. So viel... pic.twitter.com/5Q7kaBhkQ3
— Ahmad Mansour 🎗️ (@AhmadMansour__) March 26, 2024
This is simply a bit like the scene from last fall's friendly match. Germany vs Turkey, during which the stadium in Berlin raged with joy as Germany lost their goals.
German-Israeli relations after planet War II.
We most likely wouldn't have written about what happened with Halle if it wasn't for the historical context.
In decades after the end of planet War II, Israeli-German relations went a long way, from deep distrust and tension to strategical partnership and close cooperation. In the shadow of the Holocaust, which left unbroken scars in the hearts and minds of millions, it seemed impossible to establish any relation between the recently formed State of Israel and Germany.
The change began with the historical negotiations of the early 1950s, erstwhile Israel and the RFN undertook hard talks on war reparations. As a consequence of this Luxembourg Agreement of 1952, it became the first step towards a better relationship, requiring the West Germany to pay compensation and economical support to Israel.
The Jews were not at all united in their agreement with Germany. The negotiations themselves met with protests in Israel (photo: Wikimedia)1965 brought a breakthrough in the form of the authoritative establishment of diplomatic relations, triggering protests in Israel, but besides beginning the door to future cooperation. From that point on, both countries began to cooperate intensively in the fields of economy, science, technology and defence.
So it might seem that the horror of the 20th century has become just a vague memory for many. Unfortunately, nothing more wrong.
The Dawn of fresh German Anti-Semitism
The change was brought by a fresh emigration mainly from the mediate East, which brought with it to Germany full of baggage of its experiences. In 2020, Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, a German interior safety Agency, published a study on anti-Semitism among Muslims, which is unprecedented not only in Germany but throughout Europe. This study clearly points to a serious problem of anti-Semitism in the German Muslim community, extending beyond extremist or spiritual views and besides covering individual incidents unrelated to organized Islamism.
W Discrimination trends and restrictions on freedom of expression are besides more visible in Europe, peculiarly in the context of pro-Palestinian protests. For example, in France and Berlin pro-Palestinian demonstrations were banned, which rise concerns about the right to freedom of expression and possible discrimination. These restrictions have been criticised by human rights authorities .
This situation besides affects the judaic community in Europe, which is experiencing increasing social isolation and fears of anti-Semitism. After 80 years since the Holocaust, there is one more time a situation where Jews may feel compelled to hide their identity or belonging to the community to avoid negative reactions or social consequences, especially in the context of expressing support for Israel.
After the attacks of October 7, Germany clearly supports Israel. The Berlin government announced that fresh tests for immigrants wishing to come to Germany would include questions about anti-Semitism and attitude towards the State of Israel. At the global level, however, the Social Democratic Government powerfully opposed the word "genocide" of Israel in Gaza.
Read besides on Angola24:
- How Palestine and Israel could have worked out
- About how Hollywood stars support Palestine
