Feddit.org officially announces they will ban criticism of Israel and pro-Palestinian posts and comments.
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
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The sentence “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”
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Comparing Israel to the Nazis
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Calls to end Zionism
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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).
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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 […]
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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.
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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).
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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 …)
federal reverse (on behalf of the mods of !europe)
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Man, seeing Germany side with genocide once again was fucking not on my bingo card.
I don’t imagine things will get better under the new right-wing government either.
I agree with this post. You can condemn Israel’s actions towards Palestine without supporting Hamas and their terror towards Israel and Palestine.
What many pro-Hamas supporters don’t understand is that Hamas doesn’t have good intentions toward Palestine.
Hamas embodies the armed struggle against the genocidal zionist state, and you should support it. This framing that Hamas is purely comprised of fundamentalists is stupid and pure hasbarah, gtfo.
Hamas is a symptom of an oppressive nazi genocidal regime
I stand with Ghorman and condemn the Empire’s action towards them without supporting the rebel terrorists. Pro-rebel supporters don’t understand that the rebels don’t have good intentions.
I mean, you can, if you’re a piece of shit.
If Zionists don’t want terror maybe they should stop stealing shit and torturing children.
Hamas is the reaction to a century of genocidal settler colonialism. Read The Wretched of the Earth.
What many pro-Hamas supporters don’t understand is that Hamas doesn’t have good intentions toward Palestine.
Yes the paramilitary group fighting on the side of the oppressed people are the bad guys…
Waffen IDF dindu nuffin 🤡
Feddit.org should put my balls in its mouth. And tongue my asshole.
Guess who I support? Palestinians who just want to exist. Same for all marginalized people.
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Death to Germany
The country or the inhabitants?
Death to Germany
Germany is a country. Germans are its inhabitants.
Yea, so which
Death to Germany
So where do the Germans go?
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They dont “go” anywhere. The people in that physical location form a new, better government thats not bought out by foreign interests.
any other obvious stuff I can give you the minute details on? Do you need a diagram of how to use the toilet? Lend me some of your crayons and I’ll diagram it out for you. Thats why we are all here, to give you painfully obvious answers to boneheaded questions.
Why would they have to “go” anywhere?
What would you do with them if you don’t relocate?
They can be resettled in Libya with the Gazans.
Where do the Israelis go?
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Cool, I’ll add them to my ban list.
Better yet I am trying to get them to add me to their ban list
Beat you to it without even trying hah
Didn’t blaja already defed them?
Nah, that was feddit.uk
Shot you’re right. I forgot they were two separate instances tbh.
germans supporting a genocide, why am i not surprised
akshually they’re just complying to law 🤓
also defending facism at every turn
Unsurprising, still disappointing.
German Guilt Pride is a hell of a drug. Hiding behind ‘laws’ to justify this is also very on brand.
Guilt Pride
Thank you for this term.
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.
Russophobic nazi supremacism still kosher though.
I’ve noticed that pro-Israel Germans are usually not that much against Russia.
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.
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.
Not for nothing but Russia kinda deserves the current ire.
Edit: love the moderation! Very “fair and balanced”. I’m screenshoting all this. Screw tankies!
Trust a dronie to start whining about Russia and “tankies” in a thread about the genocide of Gaza.
Trust a “dronie” to protect their homeland!
Edit to add: your boos mean nothing. You can’t support Russia and Palestine. You’re obviously paid by someone, and/or misguided.
Edit to add: I’m not deleting shit but have a group coming at me. 😉
Edit #2: every negative number I get from you pricks is a positive in my book! Keep bringing it on you lonely pieces of shit!
“Protecting your homeland” by whining about Russia and “tankies” in a thread about the genocide of Gaza.
You’re the one protecting an eastern equivalent to Israel.
Edit: love that I got under your skin asshole. Have fun with the cognitive dissonance you experience daily.
Edit 2: it feels validating every time you ass holes down doot me! Please keep it coming!
???
least incoherent dronie.
So you’re a fan of the incursion into Ukraine? Good to know where you stand.
Edit: love that I got under your skin asshole.
I love that you’re banned for your comments, let me carry that feeling forward by user blocking you. bu-bye now.
fuck the banderites
fuck the pissraelis
fuck fascists of whatever countryremoved by mod
Yep if you have Russian blood in you you’re guilty of all crimes of its government, even if you’re against Putin.
It’s so cool and not at all xenophobic.
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.
The hivemind of “I don’t think everyone in Russia is inherently guilty of all crimes by Putin?”
Alright let’s just arrest everyone in Russia. They’re all guilty. Especially the children and people in jail for protesting.
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
🤡
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.
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.
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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.
But why do that when we can do collective punishment, which is done by Russia, Israel, North Korea, and all the famous Good Nations?
Tankies here will defend Russia because they have no consistent beliefs except “West bad.”
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
Wow, real mask off moment, though they were using the “German law” pretext for a while now.
For a server hosted in Austria 🤡
Better than what the headline seems though.
The description reads almost like malicious compliance.
Still. There are people advocating for similar measures against statements not as normal as the listed.
I hope these people can see how their wishes being fulfilled might lead to similar regrettable results. It’s better not to walk the preceding steps.
One set of basics a decent human being should always remember - “I am not wise, I am not righteous, and I don’t know what is right and what is wrong, I can only try not to multiply evil and to avoid lying to myself and others, and when I make a decision, I know it’ll harm people”.
The comments section is a circle jerk full of chuds going “it’s about time somevody stood up for poor Israel, only here and world isn’t Hamas”
I’d call it a psyop but Eur*peans have proven to be this ghoulish across their entire history so
I wish this was a psyop but germans have some weird mental gymnastics that result in them cornering themselves into these weird positions
Another one is their relationship with Russia… 🤡
Germans are quickly rearming, BTW.
And if we look at the numbers, their planned military budget is going to be the size of Russia’s. The efficiency of its use, despite all the jokes about German military bureaucracy, is going to be better too.
So I’d say it’s a huge question who’s being cornered, them or everybody around. Considering the size of Germany’s economy, its dependent economies and allied states. Considering that France, Poland, obviously Ukraine are interested in participating, so there’s bigger total scale of the system achievable.
Even for the old-fashioned kind of militarism they have sufficient population.
And about Putin - one of that regime’s worst unseen qualities is that not only it’s sadistic and barbaric and generally evil, it’s also incompetent. Well, competent in killing people, preserving power and all kinds of sadism, incompetent in strategy. In 5 years when Germany rearms well enough, they might, to optimize expenses, do something huge for old times’ sake after solving the immediate problem, and for this kind of aggression Putin’s Russia will not be ready, not even on the level of 1941.
But also Putin&co have that common for Soviet nomenclature fetish for the German empire. And they are psychopaths. They might be bringing this about because they want this to happen. They will all be in European countries, after all, living just fine, and nobody will put them in jail or take away their stolen riches.
one of that regime’s worst unseen qualities is that not only it’s sadistic and barbaric and generally evil, it’s also incompetent.
Liberals get their politics from marvel movies
You wouldn’t believe me.
Nah, just half, the other is from Harry Potter
True
It’ll take a lot more than 5 to train and equip an effective force.
It’s not from ground zero.
And it can be effective. It won’t be experienced and will have to live through a lot of massacres and shame, similarly to what Russia did in 2022 or many other forces which hadn’t been properly tested for long. But it will be effective most likely.
But yes, 5 years to blitzing Russia again is something born by my short memory while typing.
Banning calls for dissolution of a genocidal Apartheid is not “malicious compliance”.
They are even banning calls to end Zionism which is comparable to banning calls to end Nazism.
Of course this comparison could not be made on Feddit.org because they ban comparisons of Zionism to Nazis.
Such a pain you can’t block an entite instance (at least not that I’ve found on Sync) and have to block the individual communities one by one. I blocked the ones with over 500 subscribers and i suppose the others will get blocked as they show up in my Everything feed.
There’s no way i want to be a part of German genocide whitewashing.
you should be able to do that from the web interface, and it will apply to any apps because your server does the filtering.
fyi, some are already blocking lemmy.ml too. I’m not yet sure if I want to go that far, but I’m getting tired of their china apologism. and this community is also on ml, soo…
China apologism 😂 fucking hell I swear most of y’all would slot right in during jim crow or the yellow peril. If white society says you’re an animal it’s up to PoC to prove we’re not (and if we do it’s apologia)
Sounds like you need to use a different app then. Cuz I’m pretty sure you can block instances on most other ones. I use connect and I blocked a number of instances.
Yikes. 😬
