Prof. Dr. Agata Lisiak writes about student trials in Berlin for UntoldMag

In her essay titled "Legally Speaking: Inside Germany’s Trials Against Palestine Solidarity" published in UntoldMag, Prof. Dr. Agata Lisiak draws a parallel between Rosa Luxemburg’s 1914 trial for anti-war activism and the contemporary prosecution of Berlin students protesting Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Lisiak argues that the criminalization of dissent in Germany — once used to silence socialist revolutionaries like Luxemburg — is now wielded against those expressing solidarity with Palestine.

Lisiak writes about how Berlin universities, instead of encouraging open discussion, have turned to police intervention and legal action against students who demand accountability for their institutions’ complicity in Germany-backed crimes perpetuated by Israel. Through detailed courtroom observations, she reveals how judges routinely dismiss human-rights arguments as irrelevant, exposing a broader effort to depoliticize students and stifle academic freedom. Warning that the systematic repression of Palestine solidarity marks a deepening crisis of democracy in Germany, she calls for judicial transparency and public resistance to state-led silencing of dissent.

Post Date: 12-01-2025