Germany bans anti-Israel vigil at Buchenwald memorial

The event, organized by Kufiyas in Buchenwald, had been set for April 12 to mark the 81st anniversary of Buchenwald’s liberation by US troops.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

German authorities have prohibited a planned pro-Palestinian vigil at the Buchenwald Nazi concentration camp memorial, saying the event will not be allowed on the site following public and political opposition.

The event, organized by Kufiyas in Buchenwald, had been set for April 12 to mark the 81st anniversary of Buchenwald’s liberation by US troops.

The city of Weimar said Monday it would not permit the rally at the memorial itself and instead proposed a downtown square as an alternative location.

The planned gathering had drawn sharp criticism from officials and organizations ahead of its scheduled date.

Felix Klein, Germany’s federal antisemitism czar, said in an interview with the Jüdische Allgemeine that he viewed the initiative as “disrespectful self-promotion and a perfidious attempt to relativize the murder of over 11,000 Jews in the Buchenwald concentration camp by comparing it to Israel’s actions in the recent Gaza war.”

A coalition of 17 organizations, including Jewish communal and academic groups, issued a joint statement accusing organizers of “instrumentalizing the Buchenwald memorial site as a platform for anti-Jewish agitation.”

Organizers said they would challenge the restriction in court. They said the vigil was intended to “commemorate victims of genocide and fascism” and to “uplift the fundamental duty to fight against all genocides, particularly the genocide currently taking place in Palestine.”

The campaign has received support from the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network and the German group Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East.

Rachael Shapiro of the International Jewish Anti-zionist Network said the memorial foundation’s “insistence on the singularity and exceptionalism of the Nazi genocide of European Jews” serves to “actively provide cover for Germany’s participation in and funding of the mass murder of Palestinians.”

The initiative also follows disputes involving the memorial foundation, including policies restricting visitors from wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh and the disinvitation of Israeli philosopher Omri Boehm from delivering a commemoration speech. Organizers said their campaign reflects the “Oath of Buchenwald,” issued by survivors on April 19, 1945.