The German Court of Justice will decide whether the controversial Palestinian slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” should be considered a terrorist organization symbol.
A Berlin court last week found a woman guilty of using a terrorist organization’s logo after she posted the text on her publicly accessible Instagram profile, and fined her €1,300 ($1,370).
The Iranian citizen, 42, has filed an appeal at the Court of Justice in Karlsruhe, according to a court spokesman on Thursday.
The judge in charge of the Berlin case, Susann Wettley, said the slogan is a symbol of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which the European Union classifies as a terrorist organization.
The slogan calls for a free Palestine that stretches from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, which is where the state of Israel is located.
Many activists say that this phrase is a cry for peace and equality for the Palestinians. Some say it is anti-Semitic and calls for the destruction of Israel.
German courts have so far treated the slogan differently.
The Berlin ruling was the first time the slogan had been tested as a symbol of a terrorist organization, said prosecutor Tim Kaufmann.
Wettley said that especially after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 last year, the German community came to associate the slogan with the group.
He said the defendant spread the word knowing that Hamas is considered a terrorist organization, adding that the group accepts the decision.
German lawmakers want to ban the use of the term.
In August, a Berlin court fined a protester 600 euros ($630) for chanting the slogan at a pro-Palestinian rally there.
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