Feddit.org announced today that they are changing their rules to match German law despite their server not being hosted in Germany.

Feddit.org now bans

  • The sentence “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”

  • Comparing Israel to the Nazis

  • Calls to end Zionism

  • Calling for the dissolution of Israel

And much more. The full original post can be found here, or

Click here for full text of original post:

Hi.

In the past few days, discontent regarding mod decisions in this community has been brewing, particularly when it comes to comments on Palestine, Israel, and Israeli politics and actions. There are also misunderstandings regarding mod intention and German law. We hope to clear that up with this post.

While the servers of feddit.org are in Austria, most of the mods of this community as well as admins of this server live in Germany. Speaking of, our server admins have also posted a write-up on the same topic.

And with that, let’s go:

In Germany, antisemitism is specifically sanctioned in German criminal law, both for speech and as a motivation for other criminal behavior. In addition, Germany seeks to protect the Jewish state of Israel (the so-called “Reason of State” introduced in 2008) and thus verges toward protecting Zionism as well. Certain criticism of Israel/Israelis is also categorized as “Israel-related antisemitism”.

Since criminal law is involved, enforcement can mean things like police raids and device confiscations. After such police action, it does not really matter if it was appropriate or if cases are dropped or never charged: The damage is done. All told, it’s not that fun.

There is also no point in engaging in discussions about the veracity of statements that could get us into legal trouble. In addition, we believe that you can express most opinions without breaking rules.

If your comment contains the following, it will be removed from this community:

  • Calling for the dissolution of Israel, or calling for a one-state solution without specifying equal rights for all people; Jewish in particular.
  • Calling for a destruction, annihilation, an end of all Zionism or the like.
  • Equating Israeli actions and (historical) Nazism.
  • The slogan “from the river…”
  • Endorsement of or justifications for Hamas or Hezbollah, or slogans or graphics positively referring to these organizations. These are considered terrorist organizations in Germany.
  • … and obviously: Any of the common antisemitic tropes or calls to violence against Jews or Israelis

Comments will not be removed for the following:

  • Denouncing genocide.
  • Denouncing Israeli war crimes.
  • Criticizing Zionism as an ideology or political movement.
  • Referring to the current Israeli government as “criminal,” “expansionist,” or “far-right”.

If your comment is removed nonetheless, these are not the reason. I’d also like to stress that this community was never a free-speech-absolutist zone: It is a (usually lightly) moderated community. There may also be times when bans go too far. In such cases, please DM the @EuroMod@feddit.org account (which all mods have access to).

To help you understand why, I'll leave an assortment of sources here (translations via DeepL).

  • A news report:

    Berlin in mid-May [2024] around 6 o’clock in the morning. A loud, continuous “banging” against the apartment door wakes student Alina T. from her sleep. […] When her husband opens the door, several LKA officers, two employees of the district office and the SEK “storm” past him into the apartment. Puzzled, he looks at the search warrant. […] The background to this was a Facebook entry in the student’s profile: "From the river […]

  • A legal treatise:

    In November 2023, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and for Home Affairs also issued a prohibition order against Hamas.[60] According to the order, “the slogan ‘From the River to the Sea’ (in German or other languages)” is a distinguishing mark of Hamas[61]. […] the current legal situation [regarding “Denial of Israel’s right to exist”] is - contrary to what the statements of the Federal Ministry of Justice suggest[63] - anything but clear. Whether incitements to eliminate the State of Israel are prosecuted depends on the respective legal opinion and the prosecution will of the respective public prosecutor’s office.

  • Press release from the previous government:

    In this context, Section 111 StGB, which covers public incitement to commit crimes, may also be relevant. Incitement to extinguish Israel’s existence by force may be punishable under this provision. The same applies to calls to publicly display the Hamas flag. If Hamas attacks are publicly cheered and celebrated, this may also be punishable. This means that people who cheer on Hamas’s actions or publicly express their sympathy with the attacks may constitute the criminal offence of “approval of criminal acts” under Section 140 of the German Criminal Code (StGB).

  • Another news report

    In connection with the controversial Palestine Congress in Berlin, the German authorities have also imposed an entry ban on former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis. “In order to prevent antisemitic and anti-Israel propaganda at the event”, several entry bans have been issued, the news agency AFP learned from security sources on Sunday. One of these concerned Varoufakis. (Notably, Varoufakis would have spoken about one-state solutions …)

  • Overview Germany in 2024 by Amnesty International

  • Overview Germany in 2024 by Human Rights Watch

federal reverse (on behalf of the mods of !europe)

  • answersplease77@lemmy.world
    0·
    1 month ago

    I did not leave reddit to come to a fucked down version of political censorship. fuck you and begone. I’m blocking their instance

    • Kalcifer@sh.itjust.works
      0·
      2 months ago

      I agree with this, in that I think it avoids the issue of appearing to side with one or the other — I think it’s more neutral.

      • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
        0·
        2 months ago

        Suppressing any discussion of genocide is the goal though so they still win under this fact pattern

        Remember, Israel just wants to kill of Palestine if peace while western regime ehores praise them for their hard work.

        It is really annoying when the shitposters won’t stfu about the genocide, mate!

    • Omega@discuss.online
      0·
      2 months ago

      I find it more disgusting than .ml and even hexbear, Chinese Human rights violations lean towards cultural genocide, Israel is killing, starving, dislocating and destroying their culture, ethnicity, community and land, it is as bad as it can get, any defence of Israel is disgusting for me, and criticism of Palestine on that front is very ill timed in that manner, you can’t worry about ‘terrorism’ when the alternative is extermination

        • Omega@discuss.online
          0·
          2 months ago

          betting 100 dollars (not going to you of course) that feddit will remain federated for .world, sh.itjust.works and my home instance, discuss.online

        • Ledivin@lemmy.world
          0·
          2 months ago

          I posted several threads asking for that and got REAMED.

          The devs are tankies, the largest instances indirectly support fascism (and the tankies), and the biggest European instance is explicitly choosing to support neonazis.

          Lemmy is dead.

            • kreskin@lemmy.world
              0·
              1 month ago

              yes, it took a while, but the western world order is all but over. There is no justice, honor, decency, or dignity here. Its just pariah states with hollow shells of what used to be democracy. US, Germany, Britain, France-- all failed states playing pretend.

      • mathemachristian[he]@lemmy.ml
        0·
        1 month ago

        CuLtUrAl GeNoCiDe

        Go to xiaohongshu right now and look at all the uyghurs sharing their music, food, language, stories, spreading their culture freely on a predominantly chinese app!

        Whole ass street festivals in the main streets going on in xinjiang of uyghurs celebrating community

        easiest fake news to dispel but god forbid (redd/lemm)itors step out of their bubble

  • ☂️-@lemmy.ml
    0·
    2 months ago

    ive got temp banned from there for mentioning europe engages in colonialism.

    havent participated a lot in there since.

    • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
      0·
      2 months ago

      Caught a perma ban there for calling german oligarchs being heavy on Nazi nepo babies

      That server has censorship that’s more clown than lemmy.world.

      German regime front on Lemmy… Lol

      People should vote with their feet.

      These clowns should not host pan EU communities, let them circle jerk Zionism in an echo chamber 🤡

  • humanspiral@lemmy.ca
    0·
    2 months ago

    Germany has a very binary view on class supremacism. It’s not supremacism is good vs bad. It’s a pendulum of who is above criticism. Russophobic nazi supremacism still kosher though.

    • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
      0·
      2 months ago

      Russophobic nazi supremacism still kosher though.

      I’ve noticed that pro-Israel Germans are usually not that much against Russia.

      • LemmeAtEm@lemmy.ml
        0·
        2 months ago

        Not from what I’ve seen at all. The people who insist on calling Palestinians (and any Arab people who oppose Zionism) “terrorists” are often the same people frothing at the mouth about how we have to smash the Russian “orcs.” Granted, this isn’t limited only to Germans, but I’ve definitely seen it specifically from them as well.

        • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
          0·
          1 month ago

          Worse is better. You need to have all sorts of delusions existent in the society, for the immunity to be preserved.

          Honestly I’ve had different experience, too much Russia-sympathy from Germans. But maybe that just came out of fashion.

        • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
          0·
          2 months ago

          Well to a tankie Ukrainians are not real people snd deservt it

          Palestine is a good talking point to highlight the westoid genocide tendencies.

          This the results you get when you shilling ideological shite instead of common sense

      • BrainInABox@lemmy.mlEnglish
        0·
        1 month ago

        Trust a dronie to start whining about Russia and “tankies” in a thread about the genocide of Gaza.

      • Eugene V. Debs' Ghost@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        0·
        2 months ago

        Yep if you have Russian blood in you you’re guilty of all crimes of its government, even if you’re against Putin.

        You’re so cool and not at all xenophobic.

        • YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.todayEnglish
          0·
          2 months ago

          I want you to take notice and how I said “Russia” not “Russians”. The state aren’t the individual people. But good job with following the hive mind. So proud of you.

          • Eugene V. Debs' Ghost@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
            0·
            2 months ago

            The hivemind of “I don’t think everyone in Russia is inherently guilty of all crimes by Putin?”

            Alright let’s just arrest everyone Russian. They’re all guilty.

            • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
              0·
              2 months ago

              You are making shit up lol

              Also, many Russians support what Russia is doing in Ukraine the same way majority of Israeli Jews support the genocide…

              But have you thought about the population doing he oppression mate

              🤡

              • Eugene V. Debs' Ghost@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
                0·
                2 months ago

                I’m sure a non-zero amount support it, but it’s like thinking that everyone in America is guilty of the invasion of Iraq.

                If there is a Israel citizen who is against the Genocide, I don’t want them considered guilty. I think they should be doing as much as they can against it, and being neutral to it is complicity. But if they’re against the genocide, they aren’t guilty.

                I’m also unsure of the rates of support for the War on Ukraine in Russia, but I doubt it’s 100%. Even if it’s 99%, that 1% can’t be considered guilty as charged for.

                I don’t consider think that being a citizen of a nation instantly makes you guilty. But I also acknowledge that they can benefit from how their nation acts on the world stage.

                My nation benefited from the Iraq invasion, but I was 6 years old when we did it. I didn’t even know what war really was then.

                • YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.todayEnglish
                  0·
                  1 month ago

                  Thank you one sane, non-kneejerk response. I appreciate you.

                  And for the late hivemind, I got a comment history full of not being a prick like the dude that responded to me.

              • YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.todayEnglish
                0·
                1 month ago

                Bro, again. You’re acting like the person insulting me, assumed I was. Please grab some nuance. The individual citizens are not as a whole responsible for state actions. Despite it the majority of the populace is in favor, you cannot blame them as a whole.

  • Korhaka@sopuli.xyzEnglish
    0·
    1 month ago

    I am not reading that. Can we get some more non political instances and communities?