The anti-Semitism commissioner and the anti-discrimination commissioner are calling for a change in the law.
According to the report, more effective laws should be introduced to combat anti-Semitism in Germany. “The federal government should enforce a ban on discrimination based on nationality in the anti-discrimination law,” demands Ferda Ataman, the federal commissioner for anti-discrimination. Unlike in other EU countries, Arab airlines in Germany would be allowed to legally turn away Israeli passengers from air travel, Ataman told the Funke Mediengruppe newspapers.
A ban on discrimination based on nationality would help better combat Israel-related anti-Semitism. “The prohibitions on discrimination in German anti-discrimination law, for example, do not apply when Jews are discriminated against because of their Israeli citizenship.”
Anti-Semitism Officer Felix Klein also in favor
Felix klein, the federal government’s anti-Semitism commissioner, is also in favor of this proposal. Cross-party demonstrations and expressions of solidarity are important, Klein told Funke-Zeitung, but solidarity must also be shown legislatively and translated into concrete action.
Image: Heinrich Böll Foundation from Berlin, Germany, Ferda Ataman (49168254683), CC-BY-SA-2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image size adjusted)