Over the last few weeks, protest camps against the war in Gaza have spread from US universities to Europe. This includes Germany, Israel’s closest ally alongside the United States. More than 150 students occupied a courtyard at the Free University of Berlin (FU) on May 7, the same day that Israeli armed forces began their assault on Rafah. The camp had barely been set up before the university administration called the police onto campus — and had the peaceful protesters forcibly evicted.

An open letter by academic staff from Berlin and other German universities published on the same day emphasized the students’ right to peaceful protest, calling on administrators to pursue dialogue and negotiations. This sparked a bitter public controversy that had little to do with the war in Palestine — and completely ignored the fact that Israel has systematically destroyed all universities in the Gaza Strip.

Education minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger accused the signatories of trivializing violence and antisemitism. She even insinuated they were violating Germany’s constitution, the Basic Law. The mayor of Berlin stated his express intent to nip the camps in the bud before things could reach the level of the United States or France. In the days that followed, conservative politicians called for the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution to investigate university lecturers, along with the expulsion and, where possible, deportation of pro-Palestinian students. Germany’s largest tabloid, Bild, published a full-page article with photos of some of the signatories to the open letter in the style of “Wanted” posters — prompting sharp condemnations from the presidents of the universities concerned, as well as some academic associations and trade unions.