Prompted by the violent assault by German police of an Irish citizen and peaceful anti-genocide protestor, I have written the following letter to Mr. David Gill, Ambassador to Ireland of the German Federal Republic.
Dear Ambassador,
I write as an elected representative and as someone with longstanding personal connections to Germany, and with deep respect and affection for its people. It is precisely because of this high regard that I must be direct and unambiguous in raising serious concerns about recent actions by German authorities.
The Federal Republic of Germany is enabling — through continued arms exports, diplomatic protection, and political alignment — the ongoing assault on the Palestinian people by the Israeli state.
This is happening in the context of well-documented, repeated, and systematic war crimes and crimes against humanity. These include the crime of genocide in Gaza, and escalating ethnic cleansing and apartheid in the West Bank.
The German state’s unrelenting support for Israel, despite these atrocities and abuses, is deeply damaging — not only to the people of Palestine, but to international law, to democratic values, and to Germany’s credibility on the world stage.
What is now also deeply alarming is the growing pattern of state and police repression within Germany itself — targeting those who seek to protest peacefully against this complicity.
The most recent and unacceptable example is the violent assault of Irish citizen Kitty O’Brien by German police during a peaceful demonstration in Berlin on 28 August. Video footage shows a masked, armoured officer repeatedly punching them in the face without provocation.
They have since undergone surgery and remain in hospital. The level of force used was shocking and disproportionate, and warrants urgent and independent investigation.
This is not an isolated incident. Irish nationals and others have in recent months been subjected to arrests, threats of deportation, and intimidation by German authorities for non-violent protest. Protestors have even been targeted for signage in the Irish language.
These actions represent a pattern of deliberate suppression of political protest, assembly and expression — in clear breach of Germany’s obligations under EU law and international human rights standards.
I urge your government to take immediate steps to:
- End the military, political, diplomatic and economic support for the Israeli regime, which has enabled and emboldened its horrific crimes against humanity and repeated breaches of international law in Palestine
- Publicly reaffirm and uphold Germany’s obligations under the UN Charter, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
- End the harassment, intimidation, and criminalisation of peaceful pro-Palestinian protestors.
- Cease the practice of issuing deportation orders to EU citizens for lawful protest.
- Initiate a fully independent investigation into the assault of Kitty O’Brien, with transparent findings and consequences.
Germany has a moral and legal responsibility to uphold human rights — not only abroad, but at home. The assault of peaceful protestors, the repression of dissent, and the silencing of criticism are doing profound damage to Germany’s reputation as a democratic state governed by rule of law.
As a friend of Germany, I must tell you plainly: these actions are eroding trust — not only among those of us who advocate for justice in Palestine, but among those who see Germany as a leader in international affairs.
Repression cannot mask complicity and silence cannot erase responsibility.
I would welcome your response and will be raising these matters formally with the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Yours sincerely,
Conor D. McGuinness TD
Conor D. McGuinness TD 