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Information reaching Kossyderrickent has it that X community notes confirm Anwar El-Ghazi got banned after he posted an illegal sentence in german jurisdiction ‘from the river to the sea’ on his Instagram post.
X community notes wrote: “El Ghazi did not only post pro-Palestinian statements on instagram, but also the sentence „from the river to the sea“. This sentence is illegal in german jurisdiction and likely the reason for El Ghazis suspension.”
In view of the terrorist attack on Israel, the Berlin public prosecutor’s office and police want to take tougher action against anti-Israel slogans at demonstrations by Palestinian groups. The use of the oft-used slogan “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” is now being classified as a criminal offense by the public prosecutor’s office, a police spokeswoman told the German Press Agency on Friday.
The sentence means that there should be a free Palestine in an area from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean – where Israel is now located. During demonstrations, corresponding maps show the area completely green, the color of Islam.
The public prosecutor’s office sees the slogan as an initial suspicion of sedition because it affects Israel’s right to exist, said the spokeswoman. The corresponding paragraph 130 states that anyone who incites hatred against “national, racial, religious or ethnic groups” or calls for violent or arbitrary measures will be punished. Slogans such as “Death to the Jews” have long been banned under the law. Other slogans that attack Israel, however, are permitted as expressions of opinion.
Hamas fighters killed 1,300 Israelis on Oct. 7 in the deadliest Palestinian militant attack in Israel’s history while Israel responded with intensive air strikes that have killed more than 2,800 Palestinians.
“Mainz 05 respects that there are different perspectives on the complex Middle East conflict that has been going on for decades,” the club said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Mainz suspended Anwar El Ghazi on Wednesday evening after he “took a position on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East”.
El Ghazi, who only joined Mainz in September, angered the Bundesliga club by sharing a pro-Palestine post on his Instagram story. Israel is currently at war with Hamas, the terrorist group governing the Gaza Strip of the Palestinian territories.
Former Aston Villa winger El Ghazi wrote in a separate post on X on Thursday that he had “received some negative messages around my social media posts”.
“I want to make clear that I’m standing for peace above everything,” the 28-year-old said. He also called for “more empathy, deepening our knowledge about the history of this conflict.”
Mainz are 17th and second to last in the Bundesliga with two points after seven matches.
The former Aston Villa winger deleted the post, but Mainz have still acted. A statement read: “Mainz 05 releases Anwar El Ghazi from training and games. The exemption is a response to a now-deleted social media post by the 28-year-old on Sunday evening.
“In this, El Ghazi had taken a position on the conflict in the Middle East that was intolerable for the club. The release was preceded by a detailed discussion between the board and the player.
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