Bit of a bait title, speech was delivered in Irish, German law states speeches must be delivered in German or English in order to verify that there isn’t any hate speech going on.
The police said that during cooperation talks with the organisers of the protest, police had determined that speeches or audio recordings must be delivered in either German or English, as police did not have Irish interpreters available.
The person on the microphone was chanting Soairse Do Phalistine – Free Palestine as Gaeilge.
I do think it’s ridiculous to be arrested outside the Irish embassy for speaking Irish. An argument could be made that there was an agreement between organisers and the authorities of how a protest is conducted
Rage bait. They weren’t arrested for speaking Irish. Speaking Irish isn’t a crime. It could have been Welsh and it would be the same outcome.
He was correctly arrested for breaking the law.
It’s a stupid law.
Both things can be true.
No French allowed unless you have an interpreter present
Nice rage bait heading. What actually appears to have happened is someone who was asked, multiple times, to stop doing something they weren’t meant to be doing, and refused, was arrested. Then released later.
“The police said that during cooperation talks with the organisers of the protest, police had determined that speeches or audio recordings must be delivered in either German or English, as police did not have Irish interpreters available.
It said that “to prevent criminal offences, it must be ensured that speeches or audio recordings can be understood by the emergency services at all times.”
As the protest continued, police reported that one individual participating began speaking Irish. Emergency services consulted with the organisers of the protest and asked that they “influence” the person to stop.
It said that after repeated requests for the individual to cease speaking Irish, they were then arrested “for violating Berlin’s Freedom of Assembly Act”.
After their identity was established, the individual was later released, it said.”
He knew he was breaking the law before he delivered the speech.
Germanys going a bit mad
Irish is a European language. We don’t have a law banning speeches in German and we rarely have any German interpreters on hand.
Germany lets you speak about trans people in absolutely indefensibly bigoted terms. German politics have been importing homophobia and queerphobia in spades lately.
But you say “free Palestine” and suddenly the police come and crack down on you.
Lots of boot lickers in this thread.
The same thing happened last summer, Irish, pro Palestinian protesters arrested for speaking Irish and not having a “police approved” translator.
A few weeks later the same law was applied to Ukrainian protesters speaking Ukrainian at an anti Russia protest.
Within a week, Berlin police had issued an apology , stating that the Ukrainians shouldn’t have been arrested, despite the law saying protests can only take place in German or English.
So it’s abundantly clear that laws are being selectively enforced depending on how the law breakers values align with those of German institutions.
It’s gross. I moved to Germany a few years ago, I love the life I’ve made here, but it’s painful to see what my taxes are funding .
Honestly, I don’t care if it’s a law in Germany, getting arrested for speaking a language is wrong and sick.
If we had a law that allowed the arrest of people for speaking Afrikaans, Romanian, Arabic or Urdu, people would go mental – and rightfully so.
It’s fucked up.
Wonder was it that cunt that was yapping about the driving test he couldn’t do in irish
Those of you who said there’s no way hate speech laws could have unforseen consequences better me paying attention.
With Germany being one of the de-facto leaders of the EU, how does stuff like this not make people question the EU?
Ireland’s government is already in the process of adapting laws that threaten to criminalize criticism of Israel…
Germans suppressing speech? Sounds familiar….
Every time I see an article of something like this happening I understand again and again what absolute fucking insanity it is to have hate speech legislation on the books.
Time, and time, and time again we see restrictions on speech being used as a cudgel to beat people who don’t agree with the status quo, whatever that might be.
Whether it’s criticising the war effort in Russia, to criticising the government in China, to hurting people’s feelings or saying mean things about others in Europe. Nothing good ever comes of it.
You mean that the laws meant to “stop fascism” by giving the police even more powers are being used as a cudgel to suppress opposition to Israeli ethnic cleansing? In Germany? The country that denied the Wehrmacht committed war crimes until the 1990s? The country that willingly embraced both fascism and communism within the same century? Colour me surprised!
I’m broadly sympathetic to the protests against the IDF war on/in Gaza. I do not understand why these people are protesting outside the Irish embassy or how they think Ireland is complicit.
I am certain that the two irish citizens who are the subject of deportation orders in Berlin are being supported by the DFA and i know that government politicians have made statements in support of them.
This action appears to me entirely wrong-headed and bizarre in the context of the German political environment.
In the context of Ireland’s colonial history and the German authorities long knowing Irish might be spoken by Irish people involved in such a group, this is a very bad look for the leaders in Berlin. Really ought to be raised by the government.
21 comments
Am I tripping or did this happen before?
Bit of a bait title, speech was delivered in Irish, German law states speeches must be delivered in German or English in order to verify that there isn’t any hate speech going on.
The police said that during cooperation talks with the organisers of the protest, police had determined that speeches or audio recordings must be delivered in either German or English, as police did not have Irish interpreters available.
The person on the microphone was chanting Soairse Do Phalistine – Free Palestine as Gaeilge.
I do think it’s ridiculous to be arrested outside the Irish embassy for speaking Irish. An argument could be made that there was an agreement between organisers and the authorities of how a protest is conducted
Rage bait. They weren’t arrested for speaking Irish. Speaking Irish isn’t a crime. It could have been Welsh and it would be the same outcome.
He was correctly arrested for breaking the law.
It’s a stupid law.
Both things can be true.
No French allowed unless you have an interpreter present
Nice rage bait heading. What actually appears to have happened is someone who was asked, multiple times, to stop doing something they weren’t meant to be doing, and refused, was arrested. Then released later.
“The police said that during cooperation talks with the organisers of the protest, police had determined that speeches or audio recordings must be delivered in either German or English, as police did not have Irish interpreters available.
It said that “to prevent criminal offences, it must be ensured that speeches or audio recordings can be understood by the emergency services at all times.”
As the protest continued, police reported that one individual participating began speaking Irish. Emergency services consulted with the organisers of the protest and asked that they “influence” the person to stop.
It said that after repeated requests for the individual to cease speaking Irish, they were then arrested “for violating Berlin’s Freedom of Assembly Act”.
After their identity was established, the individual was later released, it said.”
He knew he was breaking the law before he delivered the speech.
Germanys going a bit mad
Irish is a European language. We don’t have a law banning speeches in German and we rarely have any German interpreters on hand.
Germany lets you speak about trans people in absolutely indefensibly bigoted terms. German politics have been importing homophobia and queerphobia in spades lately.
But you say “free Palestine” and suddenly the police come and crack down on you.
Lots of boot lickers in this thread.
The same thing happened last summer, Irish, pro Palestinian protesters arrested for speaking Irish and not having a “police approved” translator.
A few weeks later the same law was applied to Ukrainian protesters speaking Ukrainian at an anti Russia protest.
Within a week, Berlin police had issued an apology , stating that the Ukrainians shouldn’t have been arrested, despite the law saying protests can only take place in German or English.
So it’s abundantly clear that laws are being selectively enforced depending on how the law breakers values align with those of German institutions.
It’s gross. I moved to Germany a few years ago, I love the life I’ve made here, but it’s painful to see what my taxes are funding .
Honestly, I don’t care if it’s a law in Germany, getting arrested for speaking a language is wrong and sick.
If we had a law that allowed the arrest of people for speaking Afrikaans, Romanian, Arabic or Urdu, people would go mental – and rightfully so.
It’s fucked up.
Wonder was it that cunt that was yapping about the driving test he couldn’t do in irish
Those of you who said there’s no way hate speech laws could have unforseen consequences better me paying attention.
With Germany being one of the de-facto leaders of the EU, how does stuff like this not make people question the EU?
Ireland’s government is already in the process of adapting laws that threaten to criminalize criticism of Israel…
Germans suppressing speech? Sounds familiar….
Every time I see an article of something like this happening I understand again and again what absolute fucking insanity it is to have hate speech legislation on the books.
Time, and time, and time again we see restrictions on speech being used as a cudgel to beat people who don’t agree with the status quo, whatever that might be.
Whether it’s criticising the war effort in Russia, to criticising the government in China, to hurting people’s feelings or saying mean things about others in Europe. Nothing good ever comes of it.
You mean that the laws meant to “stop fascism” by giving the police even more powers are being used as a cudgel to suppress opposition to Israeli ethnic cleansing? In Germany? The country that denied the Wehrmacht committed war crimes until the 1990s? The country that willingly embraced both fascism and communism within the same century? Colour me surprised!
I’m broadly sympathetic to the protests against the IDF war on/in Gaza. I do not understand why these people are protesting outside the Irish embassy or how they think Ireland is complicit.
I am certain that the two irish citizens who are the subject of deportation orders in Berlin are being supported by the DFA and i know that government politicians have made statements in support of them.
This action appears to me entirely wrong-headed and bizarre in the context of the German political environment.
In the context of Ireland’s colonial history and the German authorities long knowing Irish might be spoken by Irish people involved in such a group, this is a very bad look for the leaders in Berlin. Really ought to be raised by the government.
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