A German court has ruled that a Nazi concentration camp memorial has the right to refuse entry to those wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh scarf.
The higher administrative court in the eastern state of Thuringia on Wednesday rejected a request from a woman to be allowed entry to the Buchenwald concentration camp memorial while wearing a keffiyeh.
“It is unquestionable that this would endanger the sense of security of many Jews, especially at this site,” the court said.
If the director had been acting perplexed as to why the keffiyeh is relevant, and if their take was a bit more nuanced and humanizing of the Palestinians and recognizing the shared humanity, I would agree. But this specifically is about excluding this particular ethnic group from sharing in the memory of the Holocaust. Which is kind of fucked up.
but in the very next sentence he’s quoted as saying
and also, it’s not just about the keffiyeh… as the article also says
if she hadn’t have been trying to make a political statement, perhaps there’d have been a different outcome
at the very least, it’s not like a burqa where they’re not allowed to take it off, and thus couldn’t enter. she could have come in if she was willing to take the single item of clothing off… i’d expect the same treatment of someone wearing a hoodie saying “the nazis did some bad shit but have you heard what israel is doing?”: take it off or leave
Yes and Wagner’s admission actually aligns with the protestor’s intent pretty well, doesn’t it?