(MENAFN) According to reports, a German court has ruled that authorities cannot impose a blanket prohibition on questioning Israel’s right to exist, stating that such restrictions violate freedom of speech protections.

The Higher Administrative Court in North Rhine-Westphalia issued the decision after Dusseldorf authorities had banned a peaceful pro-Palestinian demonstration scheduled for Saturday, citing concerns that participants might chant slogans denying Israel’s right to exist.

The court found the ban unlawful, noting that “a critical examination of the founding of the state of Israel and the demand for a peaceful change of existing conditions are fundamentally protected by freedom of expression.”

The ruling represents a challenge to Germany’s restrictive measures toward pro-Palestinian groups, which have faced increasing limitations since the Gaza war began in October 2023, with hundreds of demonstrations prohibited.

The court differentiated among the slogans targeted for prohibition. It ruled that “There is only one state—Palestine 48” could not be banned, as it showed no direct link to the ideology of Hamas, which is prohibited in Germany. However, it deemed banning the slogan “Yalla, yalla, Intifada” likely lawful. Regarding the controversial phrase “From the river to the sea,” the court stated that it could not make a definitive determination in the emergency proceeding about whether its use constitutes a criminal offense as a symbol of Hamas.

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