TRIAL AGAINST THE GERMAN BUNDESTAG FOR ITS BDS RESOLUTION
Who are we?
We are the Jewish, Palestinian, and German activists Judith Bernstein, Amir Ali and Christoph Glanz. We are the Bundestag 3 for Palestine (BT3P). Together, we stand for human rights in Palestine. What unites us as politically thinking and acting people is our unconditional commitment to human rights. We oppose all forms of racism (including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia), discrimination and oppression without exception. The Berlin-based lawyer Ahmed Abed is commissioned with the lawsuit.
Why are we suing the German Bundestag?
On May 17, 2019, the German Bundestag passed a resolution that brands the BDS movement as anti-Semitic, denies any cooperation with BDS activists and supporters, and calls on states, municipalities, and cities to obstruct events that address BDS by denying them public space. Based on the authority of the Bundestag, these public bodies and even private companies are adopting this resolution against BDS activists and supporters of the Palestinians, despite the lack of a legal basis. This clear violation of the constitutional right to freedom of expression hinders human rights work in Germany.
What is BDS?
BDS stands for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions. The BDS campaign was launched by the Palestinian civil society in 2005. It is the Palestinians' response to decades of ethnic "cleansing," military occupation, continuous oppression, and apartheid practices by Israel, and is modelled on the boycott movement against the former apartheid regime in South Africa (led, among others, by Nelson Mandela).
Support
We invite everybody who is committed to human rights and supports the Palestinian cause to feel included as part of the BT3P initiative. But, of course, we also invite those people who do not agree with all aspects of the BDS call, but for whom freedom of expression is paramount in our society, to engage in a critical dialogue with us. We are determined to contribute to a future in Palestine in which all people can live together peacefully - regardless of their religious or ethnic affiliation - in freedom, equality and justice.
You can support us by:
Spreading the news of our initiative actively on all available channels (e.g. social media and email),
Inviting us to discussion panels and lectures,
Providing public support of the BT3P initiative, for example by individuals, public figures or organizations (e.g. trade unions, political parties, foundations, human rights groups, liberation movements, BLM and LGBTQI groups...)
Working with us or engaging in a critical exchange of ideas
Lastly, we would like to ask you to support the BT3P initiative with financial donations to help cover the costs of the lawsuit (including court and legal fees). If you click on the button below, you will be taken to a separate page where you can make a donation via PayPal.
Alternatively, you can transfer a donation to the following account: Amir Ali, IBAN: DE91 1203 0000 1004 8916 26, BIC: BYLADEM1001, Reference: Donation BT3P.