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330 shown of 1311 entities

Sąd Okręgowy w Warszawie - 30.12.2025

Case number
I C 2400/21
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns a defamation dispute arising from a mutual conflict, where both parties used offensive language, including the claimant referring to the defendant as an “antisemite”; the court treated this as part of reciprocal hostility rather than a substantiated claim, highlighting that accusations of antisemitism carry serious weight and, when used without factual basis, can themselves infringe personal rights, while ultimately finding a violation but limiting the remedy due to the mutual nature of the conflict.

Art. 23, Art. 24 §1, Art. 448 Civil Code

Name of Court
Sąd Okręgowy w Warszawie I Wydział Cywilny
Date of decision
Dec 30, 2025
Subjects
  • Defamation
  • Discrimination
  • General right to personality
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Trybunał Konstytucyjny - 3.12.2025

Case number
Pp 1/20
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Constitutional review of a political party’s aims and activities involving tolerance of antisemitic and racist content. The Constitutional Tribunal examined whether the program and activities of the Communist Party of Poland complied with constitutional standards prohibiting parties that promote racial or national hatred. The Tribunal found that the party’s publications and public activity tolerated and disseminated antisemitic and racist ideas alongside totalitarian ideology, and held that such conduct is incompatible with the Constitution. The judgment reaffirmed that political pluralism does not protect organisations whose aims or activities legitimise antisemitism or other forms of hatred against ethnic or religious groups.

Art. 13, Art. 11(1), Art. 188(4) Constitution of the Republic of Poland

Art. 49, Art. 81 of the Act on the Organisation and Proceedings before the Constitutional Tribunal

Name of Court
Trybunał Konstytucyjny
Date of decision
Dec 3, 2025
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Discrimination
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Prohibition of Symbols, Parties & Associations
Type of Court
  • Constitutional Court
Area of Law
  • Constitutional Law
Case
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Oberverwaltungsgericht Bremen - 15.11.2022

Case number
1 D 87/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Ban on associations (Vereinsverbot) - Association banned for supporting another association directed against the idea of international understanding. Plaintiff incites hatred against members of other religions and combats the international legal order, partly through social networks.

Art. 9 Abs. 2 GG; § 3 Abs 1 VereinsG

Name of Court
Oberverwaltungsgericht Bremen
Date of decision
Nov 15, 2025
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Conseil d’État (5ème et 6ème chambres) - 06.11.2025

Case number
n° 495634
Country
  • France
Case Description

The applicant, SESI (the operator of the channel CNEWS), sought the annulment of a decision by Arcom dated May 2, 2024. Arcom had imposed a financial penalty of €50,000 following the broadcast of the program "L’Heure des Pros 2" on September 28, 2023. During this broadcast, a recurring guest attributed antisemitism, drug trafficking, and prison overcrowding to "Arab-Muslim immigration". The host of the program did not intervene to provide context or contradiction, merely ending the segment by stating, "That is what could be said on the subject". The guest's remarks imputed criminal actions to an entire population group based on origin and religion to support a political demand (changing immigration policy). This violates Article 2-3-2 of the convention, which prohibits encouraging discriminatory behavior. Because the remarks were broadcast without any "perspective or contradiction," the broadcaster failed its responsibility for the content and its duty to maintain control over the program under all circumstances, as required by Article 2-2-1 of the convention.

Articles 42, 42-1, and 42-2 of Law No. 86-1067 of September 30, 1986; Article 10 of the ECHR; Articles 2-3-2 and 2-2-1 of the broadcaster's convention

Name of Court
Conseil d’État (5ème et 6ème chambres)
Date of decision
Nov 6, 2025
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Case
View

Cour de cassation, Chambre criminelle - 04.11.2025

Case number
n° 24-82.396
Country
  • France
Case Description

On September 26, 2009, the defendants participated in an action at a supermarket where they wore clothing with the inscription ""Palestine vivra, boycott Israël"" (Palestine shall live, boycott Israel). They distributed leaflets stating that buying Israeli products legitimizes ""crimes in Gaza"" and approves the policies of the Israeli government. After a complex legal history—including an initial acquittal in 2011, a subsequent conviction in 2013, and a 2015 rejection by the Court of Cassation—the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled in 2020 (Baldassi and others v. France) that the conviction violated Article 10 (freedom of expression) of the European Convention on Human Rights. Following this, the French Court of Revision annulled the previous conviction and remanded the case to the Paris Court of Appeal, which acquitted the defendants in 2024. The civil parties appealed this acquittal to the Court of Cassation. The Court of Cassation reaffirmed that a boycott is a modality of expressing protest opinions associated with specific actions. Under Article 10 of the Convention, such expressions are protected unless they cross the line into incitement to intolerance, hate, or violence. No anti-Semitic or racist remarks were recorded, and there were no insults or violence against employees or customers. So, the Court of Cassation approbed the acquittal.

l'article 10 de la Convention européenne des droits de l'homme; article 24 de la loi du 29 juillet 1881

Name of Court
Cour de cassation, Chambre criminelle
Date of decision
Nov 4, 2025
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Tribunal judiciaire de Paris - 18.09.2025

Case number
n° RG 25/56086
Country
  • France
Case Description

The political association La France Insoumise (LFI) filed an emergency summons against a publishing company to obtain an advance copy of the book Les complices du mal, written by Omar Youssef Souleimane, prior to its scheduled release on October 2, 2025. LFI argued that the book's presentation suggested it contained defamatory statements and "fake news" regarding alleged links between the party and Islamist movements. The plaintiff sought this measure under Article 145 of the Code of Civil Procedure to prepare potential legal actions (such as defamation suits or an injunction to suppress passages) before the book could cause "irreversible damage" to the democratic process. The author intervened to oppose the communication of his work, citing his right of disclosure (droit de divulgation) under Article L.121-2 of the Intellectual Property Code. The court declared his intervention admissible, as he demonstrated a direct interest in the timing and conditions under which his work is made public. The court held that such a measure constitutes a significant interference with the freedom of expression and the freedom to communicate information, guaranteed by Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. It ruled that forcing an author to submit their work to the judgment of a third party before publication imposes a constraint on the creative process and the message's form.

article 29 alinéa 1 de la loi du 29 juillet 1881; article 27, 24 alinéa 1 de la même loi; l’article L.121-2 du code de la propriété intellectuelle et de l’article 10 de la Convention européenne des droits de l’Homme

Name of Court
Tribunal judiciaire de Paris
Date of decision
Sep 18, 2025
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

University of Cambridge v Persons Unknown - 12.09.2025

Case number
[2025] EWHC 2330 (KB
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The case concerns an application by the University of Cambridge for a final injunction restraining unauthorised protest activities on university property connected with Gaza-related protests. The High Court granted injunctive relief in respect of specified sites, holding that the measures were proportionate to prevent trespass and nuisance and that rights to freedom of expression and assembly do not confer a general entitlement to occupy private land.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
Sep 12, 2025
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Teledyne UK Ltd v Gao & Ors - 01.08.2025

Case number
[2025] EWHC 2013 (Admin)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The case concerns a final injunction granted to Teledyne UK Ltd to restrain unauthorised protest activity at a number of its industrial sites. The High Court found evidence of repeated unlawful trespass, obstruction and property damage linked to protest actions associated with Palestine Action, and held that injunctive relief against named defendants and persons unknown was necessary and proportionate to protect the claimant’s operations, while recognising that protest rights do not extend to unlawful interference with private property.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
Aug 1, 2025
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Conseil constitutionnel - 29.07.2025

Case number
n° 2025-890 DC
Country
  • France
Case Description

The Constitutional Council was petitioned by several members of the National Assembly to review the constitutionality of Article 3 of the Law on the fight against antisemitism in higher education. The applicants challenged: First, the delegation of legislative power to the executive regarding the composition and operation of new regional disciplinary sections (Article L. 811-5-1 of the Education Code). Second, the alleged lack of precision in defining new disciplinary offenses (e.g., antisemitism, incitement to hatred) and the fact that these could apply to conduct outside the university, which they argued violated the principles of legality, proportionality of penalties, and the separation of powers. Legislative Competence (Art. L. 811-5-1): The Council found that the Constitution does not place the specific details of the composition or functioning of these disciplinary sections within the domain of the law. Consequently, the legislator did not fail to exercise its full competence by referring these application modalities to a decree of the Conseil d’État. Concerning the clarity of the used terms (e.g. antisemitism), the Council ruled that these terms are sufficiently precise to prevent arbitrary enforcement and they are declared constitutional.

article L. 811-5 du code de l’éducation; article L. 811-6 du code de l’éducation; art. 34 constitution

Name of Court
Conseil constitutionnel
Date of decision
Jul 29, 2025
Subjects
  • Academic Freedom
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Constitutional Court
Area of Law
  • Constitutional Law
Case
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Bar Cohen v Local Court at Bamberg, Germany - 25.07.2025

Case number
[2025] EWHC 1851 (Admin)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The proceedings concerned an appeal against an extradition order to Germany based on allegations of large-scale cyber trading fraud. The central issue was whether extradition would be barred under section 25 of the Extradition Act 2003 due to serious physical and mental health conditions, in particular the risk of suicide, or whether it would constitute a disproportionate interference with Article 8 ECHR. It was also argued that prison conditions in Germany posed a particular risk, referring to an alleged increase in antisemitic incidents in German detention facilities. The Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the extradition order, finding that neither an intolerable risk to health nor a disproportionate interference with private and family life had been established, and that the German authorities had provided sufficient assurances regarding protection and medical care. Extradition Act 2003, ss. 21A, 25, 27; European Convention on Human Rights, Art. 8.

Name of Court
The High Court of Justice King's Bench Divison, Administrative Court
Date of decision
Jul 25, 2025
Subjects
  • Asylum and other issues of residence
  • Freedom of Religion
  • International Crimes
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Cour administrative d’appel de Lyon - 10.07.2025

Case number
n° 24LY03516
Country
  • France
Case Description

The association LICRA (Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Section) challenged the implicit refusal of the Mayor of Tassin-la-Demi-Lune to reinstate substitution menus (pork-free or meat-free options) in school canteens. These menus had been provided between 2012 and 2016 but were suppressed in subsequent public service contracts starting in September 2016. Following a lower court judgment in October 2024 that annulled the refusal and ordered the reinstatement of the menus, the municipality appealed to the Cour administrative d’appel de Lyon. The municipality argued that LICRA lacked the standing to challenge the canteen policy. The court rejected this, ruling that LICRA’s statutory mission—to combat racism, anti-Semitism, and discrimination—gives it a valid interest in defending individual liberties and fighting discrimination in public services. The Cour administrative d’appel dismissed the municipality's appeal. The court found that Tassin-la-Demi-Lune had suppressed the menus based on an abstract application of secularism without demonstrating any actual operational, financial, or human resource obstacles It upheld the lower court’s order for the town to reintroduce substitution menus within six months.

l'article L. 243-2 du code des relations entre le public et l'administration; l'article 10 de la déclaration des droits de l'homme et du citoyen; l'article 1er de la Constitution; principes de laïcité et de neutralité

Name of Court
Cour administrative d’appel de Lyon
Date of decision
Jul 10, 2025
Subjects
  • Freedom of Religion
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Trinity College, Cambridge and St John’s College, Cambridge v Persons Unknown - 23.06.2025

Case number
[2025] EWHC 1577 (Ch)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

This case concerned protest encampments established by “Cambridge for Palestine” on land belonging to Trinity College, Cambridge and St John’s College, Cambridge. The High Court granted summary possession orders and final injunctions, holding that the encampments constituted trespass and caused serious disruption, including interference with examinations and the creation of an intimidating environment. While recognising the protesters’ rights to freedom of expression and assembly, the court found the measures proportionate, emphasising that those rights could be exercised through lawful means not involving occupation of private land.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
Jun 23, 2025
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Sąd Najwyższy - 29.05.2025

Case number
IV KK 537/24
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Criminal liability involving organised crime and violence linked to neo-Nazi and antisemitic ideology. The defendant challenged his conviction by disputing the courts’ findings that he acted within an extremist, antisemitic, and neo-Nazi environment. The Supreme Court dismissed the cassation, holding that the ideological findings were factually supported and legally relevant to assessing criminal responsibility and motivation, and reaffirmed that antisemitism and neo-Nazi ideology are not protected and may be taken into account in criminal proceedings.

Art. 4, Art. 258 § 1, Art. 158 § 1, Art. 256 § 1, Art. 256 § 2, Art. 65 § 1, Art. 57a § 1–2 Criminal Code

Art. 439 § 1 pkt 2 and 11, Art. 433 § 2, Art. 457 § 3, Art. 535 § 3 Code of Criminal Procedure

Name of Court
Sąd Najwyższy - Izba Karna
Date of decision
May 29, 2025
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Pogroms and Violent Attacks on Persons
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Naczelny Sąd Administracyjny - 21.05.2025

Case number
II OSK 3843/19
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Judicial review of state protection of a former Jewish cemetery destroyed during the Holocaust. The case concerned the inclusion of privately owned land within the protected boundaries of a historic Jewish cemetery to safeguard a site of antisemitic persecution and religious sanctity. While acknowledging the enduring protection owed to Jewish cemeteries even when physically destroyed, the Supreme Administrative Court annulled the measure on procedural grounds, holding that heritage protection must respect constitutional guarantees of property rights and provide owners with effective procedural safeguards.

Art. 22 ust. 2, Art. 6 ust. 1 pkt 1 lit. f, Art. 3 pkt 1 Act on the Protection and Care of Monuments

Art. 64 ust. 1 and 2, Art. 31 ust. 3 Constitution of the Republic of Poland

Art. 1 Protocol No. 1 to the European Convention on Human Rights

Art. 146 § 1, Art. 188, Art. 207 § 2 Law on Proceedings before Administrative Courts

Name of Court
Naczelny Sąd Administracyjny - Izba Ogólnoadministracyjna
Date of decision
May 21, 2025
Subjects
  • Attack on Jewish Places of Worship
  • Cemetery Desecration
  • Freedom of Religion
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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The High Court of Justice King's Bench Divison, Administrative Court - 14.05.2025

Case number
AC-2024-LON-001310
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

This case concerns a civil libel claim arising from an online article alleging that the claimant had engaged in, supported, and encouraged a campaign of online abuse and harassment against a minor. The statements complained of were made in the context of public discussions concerning antisemitism within British political life, including debate about antisemitism in the Labour Party, on which the claimant had publicly expressed views. The High Court held that the defendant’s pleaded defences of truth, honest opinion, and publication on a matter of public interest had no realistic prospect of success, as the pleaded facts were incapable of establishing the factual allegations found to be defamatory. Defamation Act 2013, sections 1–4

Name of Court
The High Court of Justice King's Bench Divison, Administrative Court
Date of decision
May 14, 2025
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • General right to personality
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Husain v Solicitors Regulation Authority - 14.05.2025

Case number
[2025] EWHC 1170 (Admin)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal disbarred solicitor Farrukh Husain after he repeatedly published antisemitic and offensive statements. His appeal to the High Court was unsuccessful, as the court did not consider the statements to be covered by freedom of expression. The judges upheld the decision because the behaviour was deliberate and damaged confidence in the legal profession.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
May 14, 2025
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Other
  • Workplace and labour issues
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Farrukh Najeeb Husain v Solicitors Regulation Authority - 14.05.2025

Case number
[2025] EWHC 1170
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The High Court ruled on an appeal against a decision of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal by which a practising solicitor had been struck off the roll for numerous social-media posts found to be antisemitic, offensive and inappropriate, as well as for offensive correspondence with the regulator. The Court examined whether the Tribunal had committed errors of law in establishing the breaches, in its treatment of medical evidence, in its assessment of freedom of expression, and in the sanction imposed. The appeal was dismissed; the Court upheld the Tribunal’s conclusion that the statements exceeded the bounds of permissible political speech and that striking off was a proportionate sanction. Solicitors Act 1974, in particular section 49; Solicitors Regulation Authority Principles 2019 (Principles 2, 5 and 6); Solicitors (Disciplinary Proceedings) Rules 2019; Equality Act 2010; European Convention on Human Rights, in particular Articles 6, 8 and 10.

Name of Court
High Court of Justice King's Bench Division, Administrativ Court
Date of decision
May 14, 2025
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt am Main - 24.04.2023

Case number
7 L 1055/23.F
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Application for a temporary injunction (Antrag auf einstweilige Anordnung) - the applicant is denied access to the "Festhalle" in Frankfurt am Main due to accusations of antiemitism. GG Art. 3, 5 I 1, III 1; HessGO § 20 I

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt am Main
Date of decision
Apr 24, 2025
Subjects
  • Antijudaist Iconography
  • Artistic Freedom
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
  • Israel-related incident
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Amtsgericht Tiergarten - 17.04.2025

Case number
264 Ls 1024/24
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Dangerous bodily harm motivated by antisemitism - 24-year-old defendant physically attacked a Jewish fellow student known from the university environment. The victim suffered severe injuries including a complex midface fracture and a brain hemorrhage. The court regarded the antisemitic intent as the decisive aggravating factor in sentencing, citing further evidence such as the defendant’s statements, social media material, and display of materials denying Israel’s right to exist.

§ 224 StGB

Name of Court
Amtsgericht Tiergarten
Date of decision
Apr 17, 2025
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Pogroms and Violent Attacks on Persons
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Andrew Bridgen v Matt Hancock - 14.04.2025

Case number
[2025] EWHC 926 (KB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The 2025 case concerns a claim arising from a public statement in which remarks made by a Member of Parliament about vaccinations were described as dangerous, anti-scientific, conspiratorial, and antisemitic. At an earlier stage of the proceedings ([2024] EWHC 1603 (KB)), the court had already determined that the statement was to be understood predominantly as an expression of opinion about the character of the remarks made, rather than as an assertion that the individual concerned was himself an antisemite. Building on that determination, the court then examined whether the claim could be disposed of without a full trial, in particular on the basis that no serious reputational harm had been caused or that the statement was protected by the defence of honest opinion. The court rejected that approach, holding that both the existence of serious harm and the actual impact of the statement on public perception could only be resolved through an examination of the evidence. The proceedings were therefore allowed to continue to a full substantive hearing. Defamation Act 2013, section 1; Defamation Act 2013, section 3; Civil Procedure Rules, rule 24.3; Civil Procedure Rules, rule 3.4 .

Name of Court
High Court Of Justice King's Bench Divison Media And Communications List
Date of decision
Apr 14, 2025
Subjects
  • Defamation
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Paul Currie v Soho Theatre Company Limited - 03.04.2025

Case number
[2025] EWHC 1645 (KB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The proceedings concerned a libel claim against a theatre company arising from a press statement in which the claimant was accused of verbally abusing Jewish audience members after a performance and aggressively demanding that they leave the theatre. The antisemitism-related core issue was whether the statement should be understood as alleging, as a matter of fact, antisemitic conduct, or as expressing a value judgment about the claimant’s behaviour. The Court determined, as preliminary issues, that the description of the incident constituted an allegation of fact (Chase Level 1), whereas the characterisation of the conduct as intimidating, antisemitic, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the theatre’s values amounted to an expression of opinion; furthermore, the reference to police involvement implied that there were grounds for a criminal investigation. Defamation Act 2013, ss. 1, 3

Name of Court
High Court Of Justice King's Bench Divison Media And Communications List
Date of decision
Apr 3, 2025
Subjects
  • Artistic Freedom
  • Defamation
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Sąd Apelacyjny w Krakowie - 28.03.2025

Case number
I ACa 1588/22
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Property dispute arising from post-war restitution proceedings in which allegations of antisemitism were raised during civil litigation. The State Treasury sought to invalidate a settlement transferring property to a Jewish religious municipality. Arguments invoking antisemitism and the Holocaust were expressly rejected by the appellate court as legally irrelevant and abusive. The court held that historical suffering cannot replace statutory requirements and dismissed the State’s claim solely on property-law grounds, namely the municipality’s acquisition of ownership by prescription.

Art. 10 Act on Land and Mortgage Registers and Mortgage

Art. 172, Art. 5, Art. 58, Art. 316 § 1, Art. 123 Civil Code

Act of 20 February 1997 on the relationship between the State and Jewish religious communities in Poland

Name of Court
Sąd Apelacyjny w Krakowie I Wydział Cywilny
Date of decision
Mar 28, 2025
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Other
  • Restitution
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Dale Vince v Andrew Staines & Julia Tice - 26.02.2025

Case number
[2025] EWHC 412 (KB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Defamation - The High Court dealt with defamation claims brought by Labour donor Dale Vince against Paul Staines and Richard Tice over their reporting on his alleged comments about Hamas.Staines claimed in an article that Vince had described Hamas as ‘freedom fighters’.Tice also published a tweet in which he portrayed Vince as a supporter of Hamas.The court ruled that these publications were defamatory because they attributed positions to Vince that, in the court's opinion, he had not held.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
Feb 26, 2025
Subjects
  • Defamation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Vince v Staines & Tice - 26.02.2025

Case number
[2025] EWHC 412 (KB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The case concerns a defamation claim brought by Dale Vince OBE against media commentators in relation to publications and online statements. The Court examined the pleaded meanings of the statements, which the claimant alleged portrayed him as supporting Hamas and endorsing antisemitic violence, and considered whether those meanings were capable of being defamatory in law.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
Feb 26, 2025
Subjects
  • Defamation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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John Ware v Roger Waters & - 25.02.2025

Case number
[2025] EWHC 389 (KB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Defamation - The libel suit brought by John Ware against Roger Waters centred on the distinction between what constitutes opinion and what counts as a statement of fact in legal terms.The court viewed the description of Ware as a ‘Zionist mouthpiece’ as an exaggerated but permissible expression of opinion in the context of his critical reporting.However, it ruled that the statement that Ware supported ‘genocide’ was an unsubstantiated factual claim.The ruling clearly defines the line between sharp political criticism and impermissible defamation.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
Feb 25, 2025
Subjects
  • Defamation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Sąd Najwyższy- 21.02.2025

Case number
II CSKP 459/23
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Civil proceedings concerning alleged antisemitic portrayal of the Polish underground resistance in a television series. Former resistance members and their association challenged a film that depicted the group as antisemitic and complicit in the Holocaust. The Supreme Court recognised the particular sensitivity and potential harm of attributing antisemitic traits to a historically identifiable group in the Polish context and referred questions to the CJEU on jurisdiction, highlighting the need for effective protection against collective stigmatisation while balancing freedom of expression.

Art. 23, Art. 24, Art. 43 Civil Code

Art. 1099, Art. 398¹³ Code of Civil Procedure

Art. 5(3) Regulation (EC) No 44/2001

Art. 267 Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union

Art. 8 European Convention on Human Rights

Name of Court
Sąd Najwyższy - Izba Cywilna
Date of decision
Feb 21, 2025
Subjects
  • Artistic Freedom
  • Freedom of Speech
  • General right to personality
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Sąd Najwyższy- 18.02.2025

Case number
II CSKP 1586/22
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Protection of personal rights in relation to the use of the expression “Polish extermination camp Treblinka.” A former Auschwitz prisoner challenged a foreign media publication for falsely attributing Nazi crimes to Poland, arguing that the wording distorted Holocaust history and violated his personal and national dignity. The Supreme Court held that such expressions carry serious defamatory potential and annulled the appellate decision for failing to properly assess Polish courts’ jurisdiction over harm suffered in Poland, remitting the case for reconsideration.

Art. 7(2) Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012

Art. 1099 § 1, Art. 397 § 11, Art. 387 § 3, Art. 398¹⁵ § 1 Code of Civil Procedure

Name of Court
Sąd Najwyższy - Izba Cywilna
Date of decision
Feb 18, 2025
Subjects
  • Defamation
  • Freedom of Speech
  • General right to personality
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Vince v Bailey - 11.02.2025

Case number
[2025] EWHC 287 (KB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

This case concerns a libel claim by Dale Vince against Lord Bailey of Paddington arising from comments made on GB News and a crowdfunding website following a Times Radio interview about Hamas. The High Court considered the natural and ordinary meaning of the statements and whether they were capable of amounting to honest opinion. While rejecting the truth defence, the court held that an honest person could have held the opinion alleged and therefore refused the defendant’s application for summary judgment, allowing the claim to proceed to trial.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
Feb 11, 2025
Subjects
  • Defamation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Mond v Charity Commission for England and Wales - 06.02.2025

Case number
[2025] UKFTT 103 (GRC)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The case concerns an appeal by Gary Mond against a decision of the Charity Commission for England and Wales disqualifying him from acting as a charity trustee. In setting out the factual background, the Tribunal records that the appellant had long-standing involvement in Jewish charitable organisations, including organisations concerned with Jewish communal affairs, and that the Commission’s decision related to concerns arising from his conduct, including social media activity; the Tribunal examined the lawfulness of the disqualification

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
Feb 6, 2025
Subjects
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Kielcach - 29.01.2025

Case number
II SA/Ke 518/24
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Judicial review of heritage protection of a former Jewish cemetery destroyed during the Holocaust. The case concerned the inclusion of privately owned land in a heritage register as a former Jewish cemetery, based on its historical link to antisemitic persecution and Jewish burial traditions despite the absence of visible remains. While recognising that Jewish cemeteries retain protected status even after wartime destruction, the court annulled the administrative decision because the factual basis for defining the cemetery’s boundaries was insufficiently substantiated and disproportionately affected property rights.

Art. 3(1), Art. 4, Art. 6(1)(f), Art. 6(1)(h), Art. 22(2) Act on the Protection and Care of Historic Monuments

Art. 14(1), Art. 14a(1)–(2), Art. 15(1) Regulation of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of 26 May 2011

Art. 3 § 2 point 4, Art. 134 § 1, Art. 146 § 1, Art. 200, Art. 205 § 2 Law on Proceedings before Administrative Courts

Art. 64(3) Constitution of the Republic of Poland

Name of Court
Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Kielcach
Date of decision
Jan 29, 2025
Subjects
  • Attack on Jewish Places of Worship
  • Cemetery Desecration
  • Discrimination
  • Freedom of Religion
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Sąd Rejonowy w Nysie - 15.01.2025

Case number
III RC 326/24
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns family law proceedings on child support, in which the court took into account the mother’s use of abusive language, including the term “parch,” a historically antisemitic slur; although the case did not involve hate speech as a separate legal issue, the court treated the use of such antisemitic and vulgar expressions as evidence of aggressive behavior and a harmful environment for the children, contributing to a negative assessment of her parental conduct and its impact on the children’s well being.

Art. 133 §1, Art. 135 §1, Art. 138 Family and Guardianship Code

Name of Court
Sąd Rejonowy w Nysie III Wydział Rodzinny i Nieletnich
Date of decision
Jan 15, 2025
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Sąd Rejonowy dla Warszawy-Środmieścia w Warszawie - 30.10.2024

Case number
V K 908/23
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Criminal proceedings concerning public insult and defamation committed online and involving explicit antisemitic narratives. The defendant published social-media content insulting and defaming a private prosecutor, including the use of historically antisemitic labels associated with the Holocaust. The court found that the conduct was ideologically motivated, intended to incite hostility and publicly humiliate the victim, and deliberately exploited antisemitic tropes with strong historical and stigmatizing meaning.

Art. 212 § 2, Art. 216 § 2, Art. 11 § 2 and § 3, Art. 212 § 3 Criminal Code

Art. 624 § 1 Code of Criminal Procedure

Name of Court
Sąd Rejonowy dla Warszawy-Śródmieścia w Warszawie V Wydział Karny
Date of decision
Oct 30, 2024
Subjects
  • Defamation
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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AG Berlin-Tiergarten (Jugendrichter) - 28.10.2024

Case number
426 Ds 1053/24 jug
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

The case involves the conviction of a 20-year-old female student for approving crimes by distributing flyers shortly after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, and for physical assault and resistance against police officers during a later demonstration. The court had to weigh the limits of freedom of expression regarding specific statements in the flyers versus the criminal offense of endorsing mass murder and terrorism. The defendant distributed flyers in front of a Berlin high school. The front showed a fighter and the text "Palestine bursts its chains". The back described October 7, 2023, as a "historic moment for all liberation struggles of the world" and claimed Palestinian forces had "liberated large areas from the river to the sea". This case clarifies that while general political slogans may be protected, the explicit glorification of specific massacres is a punishable offense.

§ 140 No. 2 StGB (Approving Crimes), §§ 113, 114 StGB (Resistance and Assault on Law Enforcement), Art. 5 GG (Freedom of Expression), §§ 1, 105 JGG (Juvenile Justice Act).

Name of Court
AG Berlin-Tiergarten
Date of decision
Oct 28, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Pogroms and Violent Attacks on Persons
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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LAG Düsseldorf - 08.10.2024

Case number
3 SLa 313/24
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

The case concerns the validity of an extraordinary (without notice) termination of a long-term employee (a locksmith) following several antisemitic and violence-glorifying posts on his private Facebook account (asking where the next "demo against Jews" in North Rhine-Westphalia would take place). The core legal issue was whether a private, off-duty statement constitutes "good cause" for dismissal if the employee’s profile establishes a visible link to the employer’s brand. The court concluded that while the plaintiff's private statements were reprehensible, the employer's interests did not outweigh the employee's interest in continued employment to the point of immediate termination. A warning would have been the appropriate and sufficient response to address the breach of the duty of consideration. The plaintiff was ordered to be reinstated.

§ 626 BGB (Termination for Good Cause), § 241 II BGB (Duty of Consideration), Art. 5 GG (Freedom of Expression), §§ 130, 140 StGB (Criminal Code).

Name of Court
LAG Düsseldorf
Date of decision
Oct 8, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt a. M. - 04.10.2024

Case number
5 L 3492/24.F
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

The case concerns the legality of a complete ban issued by the city of Frankfurt against a pro-Palestinian demonstration titled "For a Free Palestine – Victory belongs to Justice," which was scheduled to take place on October 7, 2024—the first anniversary of the Hamas terror attacks on Israel. The court granted the applicant’s urgent request to restore the suspensive effect of her objection, effectively overturning the ban. The respondent (the city of Frankfurt) banned the assembly, arguing that the date of October 7 is a uniquely sensitive day of mourning for the victims of the Hamas massacre. The authorities claimed that a pro-Palestinian demonstration on this specific day would be an "absolute provocation" and a threat to public order and social peace. The court held that the authorities relied on political considerations and speculation rather than concrete facts. While the applicant had made controversial statements in the past, her most recent assemblies had been peaceful. The court emphasized that a person’s political views or past investigations do not justify a total ban on their right to assemble.

HV Art. 14; HVersFG § 14 Abs. 2 S. 1; GG Art. 8 Abs. 1

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt a. M.
Date of decision
Oct 4, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Düsseldorf - 25.09.2024

Case number
18 K 3322/24
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

The VG Düsseldorf ruled that a restriction prohibiting the slogan "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" at a public assembly was lawful to avert an immediate threat to public safety under § 13 (1) VersG NRW. The court classified the slogan as a prohibited symbol of the terrorist organization HAMAS (§ 86a StGB) and the banned association Samidoun (§ 20 VereinsG), emphasizing that its use in the current political context frequently serves as an action directly in favor of these organizations. A concrete danger prognosis was justified by the organizer's and participants' demonstrated personal and ideological proximity to the dissolved and extremist "Palästina Solidarität Duisburg" (PSDU) as well as Samidoun.

VersG NRW § 13 Abs. 1 S. 1; GG Art. 5, Art. 8; StGB §§ 86a Abs. 1 Nr. 1 i.V.m. 86 Abs. 1, Abs. 2; StGB §§ 86a Abs. 3 i.V.m. 86 Abs. 4; VereinsG §§ 20 Abs. 1 S. 1 Nr. 5 i.V.m. 9 Abs. 1, Abs. 2; VereinsG §§ 20 Abs. 1 S. 2 i.V.m. 9 Abs. 1 S. 2

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Düsseldorf
Date of decision
Sep 25, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Prohibition of Symbols, Parties & Associations
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Queen Mary University of London v Persons Unknown - 20.09.2024

Case number
[2024] EWHC 2386 (Ch)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The High Court granted Queen Mary University of London a summary possession order in respect of part of its Mile End campus following an unauthorised student protest encampment. The court held that the occupation amounted to trespass and that reliance on rights to freedom of expression and assembly did not constitute a defence to the possession claim, particularly in light of significant operational disruption and safety concerns relating to upcoming graduation ceremonies.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
Sep 20, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Bayerischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof - 09.08.2024

Case number
10 CS 24.1382
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

The VGH Munich upheld the prohibition of the slogan "From the river to the sea" during a public assembly, ruling that its use in this specific context fulfills the criminal elements of using symbols of terrorist organizations under § 86a StGB. According to the sources, an organizational link to the banned group HAMAS is established for an unbiased observer if the action appears to be directly in favor of the organization. Such a link does not require formal membership of the assembly leader but can be derived from a lack of distancing from HAMAS’s terrorist acts and the organizational support by groups that publicly glorified the October 7 attack.

VWGO § 80 Abs. 5, § 146 Abs. 1; BayVersG Art. 15 Abs. 1; GG Art. 5 Abs. 1 S. 1, Art. 8 Abs. 1; VereinsG § 20

Name of Court
Bayerischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof
Date of decision
Aug 9, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Prohibition of Symbols, Parties & Associations
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

AG Berlin-Tiergarten - 06.08.2024

Case number
261b Cs 1037/24 231 Js 857/24
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

The case concerns the criminal conviction of a 22-year-old German-Iranian student for approving crimes under § 140 StGB,. The defendant shouted the slogan "From the River to the Sea – Palestine will be free" during an unauthorized assembly in Berlin just four days after the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel. The court concluded that her actions were intended to legitimize the killings and kidnappings as a perceived "political liberation struggle".

StGB § 140 Abs. 1 Nr. 2

Name of Court
AG Berlin-Tiergarten
Date of decision
Aug 6, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Sąd Okręgowy w Jeleniej Górze - 6.08.2024

Case number
VI Ka 309/24
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns a neighbourhood conflict involving assault and insults, including antisemitic language directed at one party; the appellate court largely upheld the judgment, finding that the insult occurred immediately after a physical attack and thus had a reactive character, emphasising that even offensive expressions must be assessed in context, while rejecting self defence claims, identifying the other party as the initiator of violence, and recognising diminished responsibility of one defendant due to mental disturbances.

Art. 157 § 2, Art. 31 § 2, Art. 25 § 1, 2a, Art. 216 § 3 Criminal Code

Art. 7, Art. 438 pkt 2, 3, Art. 439, Art. 440, Art. 624 § 1 Code of Criminal Procedure

Name of Court
Sąd Okręgowy w Jeleniej Górze VI Wydział Karny
Date of decision
Aug 6, 2024
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Oberverwaltungsgericht Bautzen - 27.07.2024

Case number
1 B 116/24
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

A restriction on freedom of assembly (in this case: a ban on assembly) may be justified in individual cases on the basis of the sole slogan of the assembly, ‘From the river to the sea – Palestine will be free’, provided that any interpretation that would not be punishable can be ruled out in the individual case. In individual cases, the assembly authority may base its discretion to ban an assembly on the fact that the applicant has refused to change such a sole assembly slogan as discussed in the cooperation meeting and that, as the assembly authority, it is not entitled to, to impose an alternative assembly slogan on the organiser or to order that the assembly be held without a slogan.

VwGO § 80 Abs. 5; VwGO § 146 Abs. 1 ;GG Art. 5 Abs. 1 ;GG Art. 8 Abs. 1; SächsVersG § 15; StGB § 86a Abs. 1 Nr. 1 i.V.m. § 86 Abs. 2

Name of Court
Oberverwaltungsgericht Bautzen
Date of decision
Jul 27, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Prohibition of Symbols, Parties & Associations
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

University of Birmingham v Ali and Persons Unknown - 09.07.2024

Case number
[2024] EWHC 1770 (KB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The University of Birmingham obtained a summary possession order to remove a student-led protest encampment from its campus. The High Court rejected arguments of discrimination and breaches of freedom of expression and assembly, holding that the decision was not motivated by the protesters’ views, that the University had complied with its public sector equality duty and statutory free-speech obligations, and that the occupation constituted trespass. Possession was granted and extended to the wider campus to prevent relocation.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
Jul 9, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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University of Nottingham v Butterworth and Persons Unknown - 09.07.2024

Case number
[2024] EWHC 1771 (KB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

This case concerned a claim by the University of Nottingham for summary possession of land on its Jubilee Campus following an unauthorised pro-Palestinian protest encampment. The defendants argued that eviction would unlawfully interfere with statutory free-speech protections and rights to peaceful assembly. The High Court rejected those arguments, holding that the encampment constituted trespass and that the University’s decision to seek possession was a lawful and proportionate response to the unauthorised occupation. The court granted summary possession, finding no realistic defence to the claim.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
Jul 9, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Berlin - 09.07.2024

Case number
1 L 261/24
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

The VG Berlin confirmed the legality of a restriction on a public assembly prohibiting the slogan "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," citing an immediate threat to public safety. The court found a sufficient suspicion of criminal liability under §§ 86a, 86 StGB and § 20 VereinsG, as the slogan is utilized as a symbol of the banned organizations HAMAS and Samidoun in the current assembly context. A concrete danger prognosis was justified by the applicant's failure to expressly distance themselves from HAMAS and their demonstrated proximity to other prohibited extremist groups.

VwGO § 80 Abs. 3 S. 1; VersFG BE § 14 Abs. 1; VersammlG § 15 Abs. 1; GG Art. 5 Abs. 1, Abs. 2; StGB § 86a Abs. 1 Nr. 1, § 86 Abs. 2; VereinsG § 20 Abs. 1 S. 1 Nr. 5

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Berlin
Date of decision
Jul 9, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Prohibition of Symbols, Parties & Associations
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Sąd Okręgowy w Warszawie - 9.07.2024

Case number
XXVI GC 837/23
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns a financial penalty imposed on a radio broadcaster for allegedly antisemitic content, based on statements interpreted by the regulator as demeaning Holocaust victims; the court annulled the decision, holding that the finding of antisemitism resulted from a misinterpretation and decontextualization of the broadcast, emphasising that the contested phrase did not refer to Jewish victims or any protected group, and that accusations of antisemitism must be based on clear and direct content rather than speculative associations, as overbroad interpretations risk infringing freedom of expression.

Art. 18(1), Art. 53 Broadcasting Act

Art. 54 Constitution of the Republic of Poland

Art. 10 European Convention on Human Rights

Name of Court
Sąd Okręgowy w Warszawie XXVI Wydział Gospodarczy
Date of decision
Jul 9, 2024
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Bayerischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof - 26.06.2024

Case number
10 CS 24.1062
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

The VGH Munich overturned a lower court's decision and suspended a restriction that prohibited the slogan "From the river to the sea" at a public assembly, ruling the ban disproportionate and a violation of the freedoms of assembly and expression (Art. 8, Art. 5 GG). The court clarified that the slogan's inclusion in the Federal Ministry of the Interior's list regarding HAMAS does not automatically render its use criminal; instead, criminal liability under §§ 86, 86a StGB depends on individual circumstances and a demonstrable organizational link. In this specific case, the city failed to provide evidence for a pro-terrorist context, as the assembly’s theme focused on "peace and freedom for all" and the organizer had no known extremist ties.

VwGO § 80 Abs. 5, § 146 Abs. 1; BayVersG Art. 15 Abs. 1; GG Art. 5 Abs. 1, Art. 8 Abs. 1; StGB § 86, § 86a; VereinsG § 20

Name of Court
Bayerischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof
Date of decision
Jun 26, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Prohibition of Symbols, Parties & Associations
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Andrew Bridgen v Matt Hancock - 26.06.2024

Case number
[2024] EWHC 1603 (KB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The proceedings concerned a defamation claim arising from a tweet in which statements made by an unnamed Member of Parliament were described as dangerous, antisemitic, anti-scientific, and conspiratorial in the context of vaccinations. The antisemitism-related core issue was whether the tweet should be understood as attributing antisemitism as a matter of fact to an identifiable individual, or merely as a sharply worded political opinion about the nature of the statements made. The court held, as preliminary issues, that the tweet was predominantly an expression of opinion directed at the content of the statements rather than at the individual as an antisemite, with only the fact that something had been said being classified as a factual assertion. Defamation Act 2013, section 1; Defamation Act 2013, section 3; Human Rights Act 1998, section 12.

Name of Court
High Court Of Justice King's Bench Divison Media And Communications List
Date of decision
Jun 26, 2024
Subjects
  • Defamation
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgerichtshof Baden-Württemberg - 21.06.2024

Case number
14 S 956/24
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

The VGH Mannheim upheld a restriction prohibiting the slogan "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" during a public assembly, ruling that its use posed an immediate threat to public safety under § 15 Abs. 1 VersG. Consequently, the restriction of the freedoms of assembly and expression (Art. 8, Art. 5 GG) was deemed proportionate, as the public interest in preventing irreversible criminal acts and effectively enforcing organizational bans outweighs the organizer's interest in using that specific wording.

GG Art. 8; VersG § 15 Abs. 1; VwGO § 80 Abs. 5

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgerichtshof Baden-Württemberg
Date of decision
Jun 21, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Prohibition of Symbols, Parties & Associations
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

LG Berlin I (2. große Strafkammer) - 20.06.2024

Case number
(502 KLs) 177 Js 1/23 (2/24)
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

The case involves the criminal conviction of a defendant for several posts on her public Instagram account between August 2022 and October 2023. The posts included antisemitic incitement (for example: Posting a photo of Jewish worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque with the caption: "A suicide attack there would be commendable, by Allah"), the glorification of the October 7 Hamas attacks, and calls for violent riots in Berlin. The defendant, who acted out of anti-Semitic motives, wanted to use this post to call on all those who had access to her Instagram account to kill people of the Jewish faith or Israeli nationality in Germany and elsewhere. The court found the defendant guilty of incitement to hatred, public solicitation of crimes, and the approval of crimes.

StGB § 86 Abs. 1, Abs. 2, Abs. 3, § 111 Abs. 1 und 2, § 130 Abs. 1 Nrn. 1 und 2, § 140 Nr. 2, 52, 53, 74

Name of Court
Landgericht Berlin
Date of decision
Jun 20, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Constitutional Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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University of Birmingham v Persons Unknown - 19.06.2024

Case number
[2024] EWHC 1529 (KB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The case concerns a possession claim by the University of Birmingham against student protesters who set up encampments on university land during Gaza-related protests. The Court considered licensing and protest rights in relation to property rights and granted possession for certain areas.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
Jun 19, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Sąd Apelacyjny w Białymstoku - 17.05.2024

Case number
II AKa 29/24
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Criminal liability for promoting a fascist system through Nazi symbolism with inherent antisemitic meaning. The accused participated in producing audiovisual materials featuring Nazi gestures and swastika imagery intended for online dissemination. The Court of Appeal held that such symbolism is inseparable from the antisemitic and genocidal ideology of National Socialism and constitutes public promotion of a fascist system. The use of Nazi symbols was treated as inherently antisemitic and significantly aggravating due to Poland’s historical experience of the Holocaust.

Art. 256 § 1 and § 2, Art. 258 § 1 Criminal Code

Name of Court
Sąd Apelacyjny w Białymstoku II Wydział Karny
Date of decision
May 17, 2024
Subjects
  • Antijudaist Iconography
  • Discrimination
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Bydgoszczy - 8.05.2024

Case number
II SA/Bd 730/23
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns a Jewish cemetery and a challenge by a Jewish religious organisation to its removal from part of the heritage register; the administrative court rejected the complaint without examining the merits, holding that the organisation lacked legal standing because such registry actions are technical measures involving only the property owner, and that although the case related to Jewish cultural and religious heritage, the organisation could only participate in earlier formal administrative proceedings, not in this type of action.

Art. 22 Act on the Protection of Monuments and the Guardianship of Monuments

Art. 3 § 2, Art. 50 § 1, Art. 58 § 1 Code of Administrative Procedure before Administrative Courts

§ 14, § 15 Regulation of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage (26 May 2011)

Name of Court
Sąd Administracyjny w Bydgoszczy
Date of decision
May 8, 2024
Subjects
  • Cemetery Desecration
  • Freedom of Religion
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Oberverwaltungsgericht Bremen - 30.04.2024

Case number
1 B 163/24
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Conditions imposed on a public assembly (Auflagen für eine Versammlung) - the authority's appeal against the first-instance decision in the expedited proceedings in favor of the organizer of a pro-Palestinian demonstration is partially successful.

Art. 8 GG; § 15 I VersammlG

Name of Court
Oberverwaltungsgericht Bremen
Date of decision
Apr 30, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Verwaltungsgericht Bremen - 29.04.2024

Case number
5 V 1013/24
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Conditions imposed on a public assembly (Auflagen für eine Versammlung) - the court granted interim relief restoring suspensive effect against conditions (Auflagen) on a pro-Palestinian assembly, holding that the banned expressions (“From the river to the sea. Palestine will be free,” “Child murderer Israel,” and an image of Israel in Palestinian colors) were unlikely to constitute criminal offenses.

Art. 8 GG; § 15 I VersammlG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Bremen
Date of decision
Apr 29, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Olsztynie - 25.04.2024

Case number
II SA/Ol 172/24
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns a refusal to grant veteran status based on alleged wartime assistance to Jews, where the applicant relied on his family’s actions in hiding Jewish persons during the occupation; the court upheld the refusal, holding that as a young child he could not have consciously and intentionally provided such assistance, and that the statutory concept of aiding Jews requires personal and deliberate action which cannot be attributed to a minor lacking awareness.

Art. 2 point 31 Act on Combatants

Art. 7, Art. 8, Art. 75 § 1, Art. 77 § 1 Code of Administrative Procedure

Art. 133 § 1, Art. 134 § 1, Art. 145, Art. 151 Law on Proceedings before Administrative Courts

Name of Court
Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Olsztynie
Date of decision
Apr 25, 2024
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Tribunal judiciaire de Paris - 24.04.2024

Case number
n° 24/51424
Country
  • France
Case Description

Following the terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent Israeli military response, the daily newspaper Ouest-France published a front page with the headline "Gaza under bombs" (Gaza sous les bombes). On October 10, 2023, an anonymous user under the handle @chacha28011 posted a tweet featuring a portrait of the plaintiff, [C]-[S] [W], alongside the journal's front page. The tweet stated that [W] "assumes his islamo-leftism and his most abject antisemitism" and referred to him and the staff as "traitors in the pay of the Foreigner" and "journaleux". M. [W] sought a court order for X to delete the tweet, provide the user's identification data, and pay damages. While the court acknowledged the remarks were "outrageous" (outranciers), it ruled that they did not constitute a manifest abuse of freedom of expression.

des articles 6 I 8 de la loi pour la confiance en l’économie numérique du 21 juin 2004 (LCEN) modifiée, 29 alinéa 1er et 32 alinéa 1er de la loi du 29 juillet 1881, 223-1-1 du code pénal et 839 et 481-1 du code de procédure civile

Name of Court
Tribunal judiciaire de Paris
Date of decision
Apr 24, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
  • Constitutional Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Bremen - 19.04.2024

Case number
5 V 949/24
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

The case concerns an urgent application for preliminary legal protection against content-based restrictions imposed on a pro-Palestinian demonstration titled "Demo against arms deliveries to Israel". The court was asked to decide whether the city of Bremen could preemptively ban specific slogans and symbols based on concerns regarding public safety and potential criminal acts. Specifically challenged were the bans on images of the Israeli state territory filled with the colors of the Palestinian flag, the slogan "From the River to the sea. Palestine will be free." and The slogan "Kindermörder Israel" (Israel child-murderer). The court granted the applicant's request and reinstated the suspensive effect of her objection, finding the restrictions likely unlawful. The court emphasized that when restrictions target the content of a speech, the interpretation must favor freedom of expression. If an utterance is ambiguous and has non-criminal interpretations, the court must adopt the interpretation that is not punishable.

VersG § 15 Abs. 1; StGB § 130 Abs. 1, § 126 Abs. 1 Nr. 3, § 140; GG Art. 8

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Bremen
Date of decision
Apr 19, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Dr T Cutler v Information Commissioner & Anor - 12.04.2024

Case number
[2024] UKUT 119 (AAC)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The case concerned an appeal relating to a Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) request addressed to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) following its report on antisemitism in the Labour Party. The antisemitism-related core arose from questions about the EHRC’s treatment of evidence concerning alleged antisemitic comments and whether a passage in its report reflected a drafting error or a factual finding. The Upper Tribunal held that the appellant’s communication did not constitute a valid “request for information” within the meaning of s. 8(1)(c) FOIA, as it sought clarification, opinion, or reconsideration rather than recorded information held by the authority. Although the First-tier Tribunal had erred procedurally by striking out the appeal on a ground not raised by the parties, the Upper Tribunal re-made the decision and struck out the appeal because it had no reasonable prospect of success. Freedom of Information Act 2000, ss. 1(1), 8(1); Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, s. 12; Tribunal Procedure (First-tier Tribunal) (General Regulatory Chamber) Rules 2009, r. 8(3)(c), 8(4).

Name of Court
Upper Tribunal (Adminstrative Appeals Chamber)
Date of decision
Apr 12, 2024
Subjects
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Discrimination
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Wilson v Mendelsohn -10.04.2024

Case number
[2024] EWHC 821 (KB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Defamation - Wilson v Mendelsohn concerns a dispute over offensive and defamatory posts on social media that arose from a personal dispute and were later disseminated publicly. The parties involved were engaged in a public debate on antisemitism, Israel and Zionism, to which the online posts referred. The High Court dealt exclusively with the civil law question of whether the publications were unlawful and did not make any decision on the substantive assessment of antisemitism.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
Apr 10, 2024
Subjects
  • Defamation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgerichtshof Baden-Württemberg - 03.04.2024

Case number
2 S 496/24
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Whether the use of the slogan ‘From the river to the sea’ in the context of a gathering constitutes a criminal offence cannot be conclusively answered in the summary examination required in summary proceedings and with the limited means of investigation available. On this basis, it is permissible to weigh up the interests of the respective applicant in using the slogan against the public interest in preventing this, and to evaluate them. This weighing up of interests is in favour of the public interest and thus against the use of the slogan at a public assembly.

GG Art. 8; VersG BW § 15 Abs. 1; VwGO § 80 Abs. 5

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgerichtshof Baden-Württemberg
Date of decision
Apr 3, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Prohibition of Symbols, Parties & Associations
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgerichtshof Kassel - 22.03.2024

Case number
8 B 560/24
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

The court ruled that restricting the slogan ‘From the river to the sea, ...’ under assembly law during a pro-Palestinian demonstration is unlawful, as it does not constitute a criminal offence and therefore does not endanger public safety.

In its reasoning, the court states that expressions of opinion are only relevant under assembly law if they constitute a criminal offence. The slogan ‘From the river to the sea, ...’ is not uniformly considered punishable in case law and literature. After a summary examination, the court found that the slogan was not punishable under Sections 140 No. 2, 111, 130 (1) of the German Criminal Code (StGB) or Section 20 (1) sentence 1 No. 5 of the German Association Act (VereinsG). The slogan as such does not contain a compelling call for armed struggle against Israel and can also be understood as criticism of Israeli policy.

GG Art. 5 Abs. 1, Art. 8; HVersFG § 14 Abs. 1; StGB § 111, § 130 Abs. 1, § 140 Nr. 2; VereinsG § 20 Abs. 1

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgerichtshof Kassel
Date of decision
Mar 22, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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VGH Kassel (8. Senat) - 22.03.2024

Case number
8 B 565/24
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

The court upheld the decision of the Administrative Court of Frankfurt am Main to restore the suspensive effect of the appeal against restrictions on the right of assembly, as there was no sufficient threat to public safety posed by the planned statements at the pro-Palestine rally.

The restrictions on freedom of assembly imposed by the respondent, which prohibited the chanting of certain slogans, were deemed manifestly unlawful by the court. The court stated that a concrete threat to public safety or order that would justify a restriction cannot be based solely on the political and legal conflict potential of the Middle East conflict. Rather, there must be concrete indications of a high probability of harm occurring. The respondent was unable to provide such indications. In addition, it was found that freedom of expression under Article 5 of the Basic Law and freedom of assembly under Article 8 of the Basic Law are high-ranking legal interests that cannot be restricted on the basis of mere assumptions. In particular, in the case of ambiguous statements, the interpretation that is still covered by freedom of expression must be taken as a basis. The court emphasized that in the event of criminally relevant slogans being used during the assembly, the competent authorities must take the necessary measures depending on the situation.

VereinsG § 9 Abs. 1 S. 2, § 20 Abs. 1 S. 1 Nr. 1; GG Art. 5, Art. 8; HVersFG § 14 Abs. 1; StGB § 111, § 126, § 130

Name of Court
VGH Kassel
Date of decision
Mar 22, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt a. M. - 21.03.2024

Case number
5 L 940/24.F
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

The VG Frankfurt a. M. suspended a restriction that prohibited the slogan "From the river to the sea" at a public assembly, ruling the ban likely unlawful due to an insufficient danger prognosis regarding public safety. The ruling emphasizes that the slogan is multi-interpretable and not exclusively attributable to HAMAS, especially when the organizer explicitly advocates for a peaceful Palestine with equal rights for all. Since no concrete evidence linked the assembly to terrorist goals and the police anticipated a peaceful course, a blanket prohibition was deemed a disproportionate infringement on the freedoms of assembly and expression.

GG Art. 5, Art. 8 Abs. 1; HVersFG § 14 Abs. 1

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt a. M.
Date of decision
Mar 21, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt am Main, 5. Kammer - 21.03.2024

Case number
5 L 973/24.F
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

This case involves an urgent legal challenge against restrictions imposed on a pro-Palestinian assembly titled "Stop the war in Gaza Save Rafah," scheduled for March 23, 2024, in Frankfurt. The city authorities (the respondent) had issued a decree prohibiting specific slogans and calls, which contain a ban calling for the destruction of Israel and a ban on the slogans "Jews child killers" ("Juden Kindermörder") and "From the river to the sea" (in any language). The Court found that restrictions require an immediate danger to public safety based on concrete and comprehensible facts. The court ruled that mere suspicions, vague conjectures, or the organizer’s affiliation with the non-banned association "Palestine e.V." were insufficient to justify the bans. Regarding the phrase "Jews child killers," the court acknowledged its criminal relevance under § 130 StGB but found no concrete evidence that it would actually be used during this specific assembly, especially since the organizer had distanced herself from antisemitism. The court ruled that the police should instead intervene on-site if such crimes occur rather than banning them preemptively.

§ 14 Abs. 1 HVersFG, Art. 8 Abs. 1 GG, Art. 5 Abs. 1 GG, § 130 StGB, § 86a StGB, § 20 VereinsG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt am Main
Date of decision
Mar 21, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Andrew Bridgen MP v Matt Hancock MP - 20.03.2024

Case number
[2024] EWHC 623 (KB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Defamation – Former MP Andrew Bridgen sued Matthew Hancock for publicly criticising Bridgen's comparison of the Covid vaccination campaign to the Holocaust as an antisemitic conspiracy theory. Hancock was responding to a tweet by Bridgen and described such comparisons as unacceptable. The court clarified that Hancock's statement was not a factual claim about Bridgen's character, but a permissible expression of opinion.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
Mar 20, 2024
Subjects
  • Defamation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care v General Pharmaceutical Council & Anor – 14.03.2024

Case number
[2024] EWHC 577 (Admin)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Disciplinary proceedings against a pharmacist – he had publicly stated at a rally on Al Quds day in London that the Grenfell fire was also caused by Zionist interests in the Tory party – he has on many other occasions made similar remarks – concerns question whether the comments are offensive and/or antisemitic and whether he is fit to practise pharmacy

Pharmacy Order 2010, Standards for pharmacy professionals, s 29(4) National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002

Name of Court
High Court of Justice (King’s Bench Division)
Date of decision
Mar 14, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Israel-related Incidents
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Sąd Apelacyjny w Warszawie - 14.03.2024

Case number
VI ACa 1204/22
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Civil liability for online dissemination of Holocaust-denial content and facilitation of hate speech. The case concerned a foundation that republished a private individual’s image alongside a Holocaust-denial statement, triggering antisemitic and dehumanising abuse by third parties. The court held that combating Holocaust denial does not justify exposing a private individual to foreseeable hate and harassment, and that social-media administrators may be liable for maintaining such content. A violation of dignity and the right to image was found, while claims relating to reputation and monetary compensation were rejected.

Art. 6, Art. 23, Art. 24 § 1, Art. 448 Civil Code

Art. 81 § 1 Act on Copyright and Related Rights

Art. 14 § 1 Act on the Provision of Electronic Services

Art. 233 § 1, Art. 350 § 1 and § 3, Art. 385, Art. 386 § 1 and § 6, Art. 100 Code of Civil Procedure

Name of Court
Sąd Apelacyjny w Warszawie VI Wydział Cywilny
Date of decision
Mar 14, 2024
Subjects
  • Compensation
  • General right to personality
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Landgericht Berlin II - 05.03.2024

Case number
67 S 179/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Appeal against a judgement (Berufung gegen ein Urteil) - the defendant was given notice to leave his flat due to anti-Semitic statements; this is not considered effective due to the defendant's schizophrenia; the appeal is unsuccessful.

§ 573 II Nr. 1 BGB

Name of Court
Landgericht Berlin II (67. Zivilkammer)
Date of decision
Mar 5, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Berlin - 26.02.2024

Case number
31 K 18/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Revocation of the firearms license (Widerruf von Waffenbesitzkarten) - the court denied the plaintiff’s request to overturn the revocation of two firearm licenses, finding that his membership in the Reichsbürger movement showed he lacked the reliability required under German firearms law.

§ 42 II, 113 I 1 VwGO; §§ 4 i Nr. 2, 5 I Nr. 2, 45, 46 WaffG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Berlin (31. Kammer)
Date of decision
Feb 26, 2024
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Koblenz (5. Kammer) -20.02.2024

Case number
5 K 733/23.KO
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Action against dismissal from civil service probationary employment (Klage gegen eine Entlassung aus dem Bemamtenverhältnis auf Probe) – the plaintiff was dismissed because of his membership in a chat group in which antisemitic content was disseminated.

§§ 42 II, 113 I 1, 117 V, 124, 124a, 154 I, 167 II VwGO

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Koblenz
Date of decision
Feb 20, 2024
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Tribunal administratif de Lyon - 16.02.2024

Case number
n° 2401449
Country
  • France
Case Description

Incitement, Artistic Freedom (Incitation, Liberté artistique) - The rapper Freezer Corleone applied for interim legal protection to lift a ban imposed by the Prefect of the Rhône on his planned concert - The Prefect justified the ban on the grounds of the risk of disturbances to public order due to antisemitic statements, apologies for National Socialism and terrorism in the artist's lyrics, especially against the backdrop of current political tensions - The court rejected the application, as the ban was considered proportionate and lawful in view of the serious threat to human dignity and public safety

Art. L. 521-2 du code de justice administrative; Art. 421-2-5 du code pénal

Name of Court
Tribunal administratif de Lyon
Date of decision
Feb 16, 2024
Subjects
  • Artistic Freedom
  • Discrimination
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgerichtshof München - 12.02.2024

Case number
4 C 23.1887, 4 C 23.1888
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Complaint against a search and seizure order under association law (Beschwerde gegen eine vereinsrechtliche Durchsuchungs- und Beschlagnahmeanordnung) - The court upheld searches tied to the ban of “Die Artgemeinschaft,” finding its racist and antisemitic ideology akin to National Socialism and thus justifying prohibition.

§ 3 Abs. 1, § 4 Abs. 4, § 10 Abs. 2, Abs. 5 S. 2 VereinsG; § 146 Abs. 1 VwGO; Art. 9 GG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgerichtshof München
Date of decision
Feb 12, 2024
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Prohibition of Symbols, Parties & Associations
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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R (on the application of Z and others) v Hackney London Borough Council and Agudas Israel Housing Association Ltd

Case number
[2019] EWHC 139 (Admin)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

This case concerns a judicial review of the allocation of housing by an Orthodox Jewish housing association. The High Court ruled that the allocation practice, which was geared towards the Orthodox Jewish community, was lawful under the exceptions of the Equality Act 2010.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
Feb 4, 2024
Subjects
  • Discrimination
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Miller v University of Bristol – 31.01.2024

Case number
ET/1400780/2022
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Freedom of speech, Discrimination, Academic Freedom – Concerns the dismissal of a university professor for antizionist teachings – the professor claims unfair and wrongful dismissal – tribunal finds that his antizionists beliefs qualify as a philosophical belief that is protected by law

Section 13 Equality Act 2010; Sections 122(2), 123 (6) Employment Rights Act 1996

Name of Court
Bristol Employment Tribunal
Date of decision
Jan 31, 2024
Subjects
  • Academic Freedom
  • Discrimination
  • Freedom of Speech
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Vincent Raynouard v. His Majesty’s Advocate (representing the French Republic)- 26.01.2024

Case number
[2024] HCJAC 2
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Holocaust denial – person accused in France for denying the holocaust files an extradition appeal – court affirms the decision of the Edinburgh Sheriff Court and refuses leave to appeal

sec 64 and 21a Extradition Act 2003

Name of Court
Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)
Date of decision
Jan 26, 2024
Subjects
  • Asylum and other issues of residence
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Landgericht Ellwangen - 24.01.2024

Case number
1 O 73/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Injunction (Unterlassungsklage) - the defendant is sued to stop making offensive statements - calling people antisemites or idiots; vilifying criticism.

§§ 823, 1004 BGB; §§ 185, 186 StGB

Name of Court
Landgericht Ellwangen (1. Zivilkammer)
Date of decision
Jan 24, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Bundesverfassungsgericht - 23.01.24

Case number
BvB 1/19
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Exclusion of a party from state funding (Ausschluss einer Partei von der staatlichen Finanzierung) - the Federal Constitutional Court has ruled that the respective party is excluded from state funding for a period of six years - Concerns the NPD/Die Heimat

§ 18 PartG; Art. 21 Abs. 3 Satz 1, Art. 93 Abs. 1 Nr. 5 GG in Verbindung mit § 13 Nr. 2a, §§ 43 ff. BVerfGG

Name of Court
Bundesverfassungsgericht
Date of decision
Jan 23, 2024
Subjects
  • Prohibition of Symbols, Parties & Associations
Type of Court
  • Constitutional Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
  • Constitutional Law
Case
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Jewish Medical Association (UK) v The Information Commissioner & Anor - 21.01.2024

Case number
[2024] UKFTT 00061 (GRC)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The dispute concerned a request for disclosure of legal advice on the definition of antisemitism relied upon by a regulatory authority when handling complaints against doctors. The antisemitism-related core issue was whether, and on what legal basis, different definitions of antisemitism were applied and whether this gave rise to an overriding public interest in transparency. The Tribunal upheld the refusal of disclosure, finding that the legal advice was protected by legal professional privilege and that the public interest in maintaining that protection outweighed the interest in disclosure. Freedom of Information Act 2000, section 42; Freedom of Information Act 2000, section 2(2)(b).

Name of Court
First-tier Tribunal (General Regulatory Chamber)
Date of decision
Jan 21, 2024
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Freedom of Religion
  • Freedom of Speech
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Dorian Grehold v The Information Commissioner & Anor - 17.01.2024

Case number
[2024] UKFTT 00040 (GRC)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The case concerned an appeal under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 against a refusal by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to disclose minutes and related documents concerning the choice of location and specification of the UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre. The antisemitism-related core lay in the broader policy context of establishing a national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, including considerations about how antisemitism and the Holocaust would be addressed in its content. The Tribunal held that the requested information related to the formulation or development of government policy within s. 35(1)(a) FOIA and that the policy remained “live” because planning permission had not been secured and legislative obstacles were still unresolved. Applying the public interest test, the Tribunal found that the need to protect a “safe space” for ongoing policy development outweighed the public interest in disclosure and dismissed the appeal. Freedom of Information Act 2000, s. 35(1)(a), s. 57.

Name of Court
First-tier Tribunal (General Regulatory Chamber), United Kingdom
Date of decision
Jan 17, 2024
Subjects
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Bayerisches Oberstes Landesgericht - 15.01.2024

Case number
207 StRR 440/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Freedom of speech, Incitement (Meinungsfreiheit, Volksverhetzung) - a former AfD Member of Parliament uploaded a video on Facebook in which he compares the measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic with the 1938 pogroms - the appeal is granted.

Art. 5 I GG; § 130 III StGB

Name of Court
Bayerisches Oberstes Landesgericht
Date of decision
Jan 15, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Köln - 12.01.2024

Case number
9 L 67/24
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

The VG Köln restored the suspensive effect of a lawsuit against a preventive house ban issued by a university to prevent potential disruptions of a lecture by the Israeli ambassador. The court ruled that measures based on university house rights (§ 18 HG NRW) require a viable danger prognosis of future disturbances, which cannot be based on mere "likes" of boycott calls or the previous use of the slogan "From the river to the sea". It further clarified that the intent to ask critical or unpleasant questions during a sanctioned discussion does not constitute a disruption of university operations per se. A house ban was also deemed disproportionate, as the university failed to establish why milder means—such as security checks or removing the person only in the event of an actual disturbance—would be insufficient.

§ 18 Abs. 1 Satz 4 HG NRW.

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Köln
Date of decision
Jan 12, 2024
Subjects
  • Academic Freedom
  • Freedom of Speech
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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LG München I - 03.01.2024

Case number
29 Qs 27/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

The case concerns the legality of a search warrant issued against a third party (the appellant) who had registered a pro-Palestinian "solidarity action" in Munich on October 9, 2023. The search was ordered to identify an unknown individual who, via the Instagram account of a local organization linked to the appellant, had posted comments allegedly approving the atrocities committed by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023. The Local Court (Amtsgericht) Munich issued a search warrant for the appellant's home and electronic devices, suspecting that these statements constituted the approval of criminal acts (§ 140 No. 2 StGB) and that evidence to identify the unknown poster could be found on the appellant's devices due to his functional relationship with the organization. The appellant filed a complaint, arguing a lack of initial suspicion and a violation of freedom of expression. The Regional Court dismissed the appeal, confirming the search warrant's lawfulness.

"GG Art. 5, Art. 13 StPO § 102, § 103; StGB § 140 Nr. 2 "

Name of Court
LG München I
Date of decision
Jan 3, 2024
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt a.M. - 22.12.2023

Case number
5 L 4164/23.F
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Application for restoration of the suspensive effect (Antrag auf Wiederherrstellung der aufschiebenden Wirkung) - The court declared the ban on the demonstration “Stop the Genocide in Gaza! End the Occupation of Palestine!” unlawful. It held that references to criminal provisions alone cannot justify a prohibition; the alleged danger must be concretely linked to statutory elements. Freedom of expression protects even controversial or potentially antisemitic views unless they clearly constitute a criminal offense. Authorities must apply milder measures before imposing a total ban.

GG Art. 8 Abs. 1 HV Art. 14 HVersFG § 14 Abs. 2 S. 1 Alt. 1 HVersFG § 14

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt a.M.
Date of decision
Dec 22, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
  • Constitutional Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Berlin - 20.12.2023

Case number
1 L 507/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Application for restoration of the suspensive effect (Antrag auf Wiederherrstellung der aufschiebenden Wirkung) - The Court allowed a pro-Palestinian assembly but prohibited the slogan “From the river to the sea, you will get the hug you need.” A blanket ban was disproportionate (§ 14 VersFG BE), yet the slogan was deemed potentially criminal (§§ 86a, 86 StGB; § 20 VereinsG).

§ 14 Abs. 1 VersammlFrhG BE; §§ 86a Abs. 1 Nr 1, 86 Abs. 2 StGB; § 20 Abs. 1 S. 1 Nr. 5 VereinsG; § 80 Abs. 5 VwGO

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Berlin
Date of decision
Dec 20, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf - 19.12.2023

Case number
6 StS 1/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Attempting an arson attack on a synagogue and attempted incitement (Verabredung und Versuch eines Brandanschlags an einer Synagoge, versuchte Anstiftung) - The accused was accused of an attack on the synagogue in Bochum acting on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran - He tried to recruit a fried as an accomplice for this plan

§§ 306 Abs. 1, 306a Abs. 1 Nr. 2, 22, 23, 30 Abs. 2 Variante 3, 53 StGB

Name of Court
Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf
Date of decision
Dec 19, 2023
Subjects
  • Attack on Jewish Places of Worship
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • International Crimes
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgerichtshof Baden-Württemberg - 17.12.2023

Case number
12 S 1947/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Appeal against desicion (Beschwerde gegen Beschluss) - the court reviewed restrictions on slogans at a pro-Palestine demonstration, focusing on “From the river to the sea…” and “Israel child murderer.” It held that banning speech requires clear incitement or a concrete threat to public safety; thus, prohibiting “Israel child murderer” was unlawful, while restrictions on “From the river to the sea…” were upheld given its unresolved status under association and criminal law.

GG Art. 5 Abs. 1 S. 1; VwGO § 80 Abs. 5; VersG BW § 15 Abs. 1; VereinsG § 20 Abs. 1 S. 1 Nr. 5; StGB § 130

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgerichtshof Baden-Württemberg
Date of decision
Dec 17, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt a.M. - 15.12.2023

Case number
5 L 4070/23.F
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Versammlungsfreiheit (Freedom of Assembly) - The court annulled a restriction on a demonstration themed “Peace in the Middle East,” where the city had banned calls for Israel’s destruction. The Court held that such a ban requires specific, foreseeable danger, not speculation or general references to criminal law. By failing to show concrete risk of antisemitic incitement at this protest, the city’s measure violated the right to assembly.

HV Art. 14; HVersFG § 14 Abs. 1; StGB § 111

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt a.M.
Date of decision
Dec 15, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Bundesverwaltungsgericht - 14.12.2023

Case number
1 WB 35.22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Applicant objects to the finding of a security risk (Antragsteller wendet sich gegen die Feststellung eines Sicherheitsrisikos) - the court annulled a security risk finding against a soldier who, while heavily intoxicated (3.05 ‰), assaulted a bouncer and made antisemitic remarks (“You with your dirty Jew nose, you all belong gassed!”). The Court held that although such conduct can raise serious doubts about reliability and constitutional loyalty, the authority’s risk prognosis was legally flawed, requiring reassessment.

WBO § 17 Abs. 1 S. 2, § 21 Abs. 1 S. 1, Abs. 2 S. 1; SÜG § 5 Abs. 1 S. 1 Nr. 1, Nr. 3, § 14 Abs. 3; SG § 8, § 13 Abs. 1

Name of Court
Bundesverwaltungsgericht
Date of decision
Dec 14, 2023
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Oberverwaltungsgericht Sachsen-Anhalt - 12.12.2023

Case number
3 P 85/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Search and seizure order (Durchschuchungs- und Beschlagnahmeanordnung) - The court dismissed the appeal against a search and seizure order related to the ban of an antisemitic and National Socialist-oriented association. It confirmed the legality of the measure, holding that a summary review of the grounds for the ban – including the dissemination of racist and antisemitic content – was sufficient.

§§ 3 Abs. 1, 4 Abs. 4 Satz 2, 10 Abs. 2 Satz 1 VereinsG; §§ 10 Abs. 2 Satz 5, 146 Abs. 4 VwGO; § 148 Abs. 1, 572 Abs. 3 ZPO

Name of Court
Oberverwaltungsgericht Sachsen-Anhalt
Date of decision
Dec 12, 2023
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Schwerin (3. Kammer) - 07.12.2023

Case number
3 A 126-22 SN
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Firearms Law Unreliability (Waffenrechtliche Unzuverlässigkeit) - The court overturned the revocation of a police officer’s firearms license, finding no proof she sought to overthrow the constitutional order or that her address error was a serious violation. Alleged ties to the “NORD KREUZ” group and holding anti-constitutional views alone were deemed insufficient for unreliability under firearms law.

§§ 5 Abs. 1 Nr. 2, Abs. 2 Nr. 3, Nr. 5, 45 Abs. 2 WaffG; §§ 42, 113 Abs. 1 VwGO

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Schwerin
Date of decision
Dec 7, 2023
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Schwerin - 07.12.2023

Case number
3 A 1408/21 SN
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Firearms Law Unreliability (Waffenrechtliche Unzuverlässigkeit) - the court upheld an action for annulment against a revocation notice, ruling the withdrawal of a man’s gun licence unlawful. Although allegedly antisemitic due to his membership in the “NORD KREUZ” prepper group, which shares such views, the court found no proof he or the group aimed to overthrow the constitutional order. Unconstitutional beliefs alone, it held, do not justify licence revocation without evidence of active intent to undermine the state.

§§ 5 Abs. 1 Nr. 2, Abs. 2 Nr. 3, Nr. 5, 45 Abs. 2 WaffG; §§ 42, 113 Abs. 1 VwGO

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Schwerin
Date of decision
Dec 7, 2023
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Schwerin - 07.12.2023

Case number
3 A 1162/22 SN
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Firearms Law Unreliability (Waffenrechtliche Unzuverlässigkeit) - the court upheld the lawful revocation of a man’s firearms licenses, finding his involvement with the “NORD KREUZ” prepper group—which shares antisemitic ideas—showed unreliability under weapons law. While no anti-constitutional aims were proven, his preparations for societal collapse and related weapons activities posed a public safety risk, making his legal challenge unsuccessful.

§§ 5 Abs. 1 Nr. 2, Abs. 2 Nr. 3, Nr. 5, 45 Abs. 2 WaffG; §§ 42, 113 Abs. 1 VwGO

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Schwerin
Date of decision
Dec 7, 2023
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Hessischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof - 02.12.2023

Case number
2 B 1715/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Freedom of Assembly (Versammlungsfreiheit) - The court ruled on restrictions for a “Peace in the Middle East” demonstration, balancing public safety with freedom of assembly and expression. It upheld bans on “From the river to the sea” (linked to Hamas) and “Juden Kindermörder” (incitement to hatred), but overturned bans on phrases like “Kindermörder Israel,” “Israel kills children,” and calls to deny Israel’s right to exist, finding these protected under free speech.

Art. 8 Abs. 1 GG, Art. 14 HV, § 14 Abs. 1 HVersFG

Name of Court
Hessischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof
Date of decision
Dec 2, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Israel-related Incidents
Case
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Oberverwaltungsgericht Münster - 02.12.2023

Case number
15 B 1323/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Freedom of Assembly (Versammlungsfreiheit) - The court partially overturned a lower court’s ruling on protest slogan bans. It allowed the use of “Stop the Genocide/Holocaust,” finding it did not constitute incitement to hatred, but upheld the ban on “From the river to the sea” due to its possible link to Hamas and unresolved legal assessment in expedited proceedings.

Name of Court
Oberverwaltungsgericht Münster
Date of decision
Dec 2, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Düsseldorf - 01.12.2023

Case number
18 L 3167/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Freedom of Assembly (Versammlungsfreiheit) - The court rejected the request for preliminary legal protection against a ban on certain slogans, such as “Stop the Genocide,” at a pro-Palestinian assembly. It found the restriction likely lawful on public safety grounds.

Art. 5, 8 GG; § 13 Abs. 1 VersG NRW

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Düsseldorf
Date of decision
Dec 1, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Köln - 01.12.2023

Case number
20 L 2423/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Freedom of Assembly (Versammlungsfreiheit) - The court overturned a police ban on a demonstration titled “Stop the Genocide in Gaza,” finding it did not constitute incitement or criminal approval and was protected by free expression. The court noted possible links to antisemitic narratives but held the slogan targeted Israel as a state, not a specific group in Germany.

§ 80 V VwGO; Art. 5 I GG; § 130 StGB; § 13 Abs. 2 Satz 1 VersG NRW

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Köln
Date of decision
Dec 1, 2023
Subjects
  • Artistic Freedom
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt a.M. (5. Kammer) - 01.12.2023

Case number
5L 3868/23.F
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Freedom of assembly (Versammlungsfreiheit) – The court lifted restrictions on a demonstration under the slogan "Peace in the Middle East", including the ban on the slogan "From the river to the sea". Only the slogan ‘Jews are child murderers’ was considered clearly punishable, while other slogans must be evaluated in their context.

Art. 8 Abs. 1 GG, Art. 14 HV, § 14 Abs. 1 HVersFG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt a.M.
Date of decision
Dec 1, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Leipzig - 30.11.2023

Case number
3 K 1555/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

unsuccessfull action for annulment (erfolglose Anfechtungsklage) - the plaintiff is not held trustworthy to have a gun licence because he took part in an event called "Ausbruch 60" where antisemitic and right-wing extremist ideas were shared, as a result of which the gun licence was revoked, the plaintiff's action is unsuccessful, the revocation notice is lawful.

§§ 5 Abs. 1 Nr. 2, Abs. 2 Nr. 3, Nr. 5, 45 Abs. 2 WaffG; §§ 42, 113 Abs. 1 VwGO

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Leipzig (3. Kammer)
Date of decision
Nov 30, 2023
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Münster - 17.11.2023

Case number
1 L 1011/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Freedom of Assembly (Versammlungsfreiheit) - the court overturned a police ban on two pro-Palestinian demonstrations, restoring the suspensive effect of the organiser’s legal challenge. The court held that slogans such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Child murderer Israel” did not in this context meet the legal threshold for criminal offences or demonstrate an imminent danger to public safety under § 13(2) VersG NRW. Acknowledging the importance of combating antisemitism, the ruling stressed that restrictions on assemblies must be based on concrete evidence and specific legal grounds, not on general suspicion.

GG Art. 5 Abs. 1 S. 1, Art. 8 Abs. 1; StGB § 86a, § 111, § 130, § 140; VereinsG § 9 Abs. 1, § 20 Abs. 1; VersG NRW § 13 Abs. 2 S. 1

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Münster
Date of decision
Nov 17, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Koblenz - 15.11.2023

Case number
5 K 733/23.KO
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Action against dismissal from the employment as a probationary civil servant (Klage gegen eine Entlassung aus dem Beamtenverhältnis auf Probe) - The plaintiff, a police officer on probation, was dismissed for sharing racist and antisemitic image files (“stickers”) in several WhatsApp groups between 2019 and 2021. The Administrative Court of Koblenz found that this conduct revealed a lack of moral integrity and confirmed the dismissal for failure to demonstrate the required character suitability for public service.

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Koblenz
Date of decision
Nov 15, 2023
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Tribunal administratif de Toulouse - 10.11.2023

Case number
n° 2306788
Country
  • France
Case Description

On November 6, 2023, the Mayor of Toulouse issued an order banning the performance of a show titled "Sous bracelet : un spectacle hors du commun" by M. A B, scheduled for November 12, 2023,. The municipality justified this ban by citing: The applicant's history of criminal convictions for hate speech, antisemitism, Holocaust denial, and apology for terrorism. Furthermore, the specific geopolitical context following the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, and the potential for importing tensions from the Israel-Gaza conflict into Toulouse. The court ruled that the municipality failed to provide evidence of recent problematic remarks or specific scenes in the current show that would incite racial hatred or violate human dignity. The court noted that past convictions for different shows do not automatically establish a current and certain threat to public order for a new performance. The Tribunal suspended the execution of the Mayor's order, allowing the show to proceed.

l'article L. 521-2 du code de justice administrative; liberté de réunion et d'expression

Name of Court
Tribunal administratif de Toulouse
Date of decision
Nov 10, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
  • Constitutional Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt a.M. - 09.11.2023

Case number
5 L 3551/23.F
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Freedom of Assembly (Verfassammlungsfreiheit) - The court overturned a ban on a demonstration titled “Never Again Fascism – Keeping the Memory of the Reichspogromnacht Alive, Fighting Antisemitism!”. The court ruled the prohibition lacked concrete evidence of imminent danger and was based on vague suspicions of pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel messaging. It reaffirmed that restrictions on commemorations of the antisemitic 1938 Reichspogromnacht require specific, fact-based justification under constitutional protections of assembly.

Art. 8 Abs 1 GG, Ar.t 14 HV, § 14 Abs. 2 Satz 1 Alt. 1 HVersFG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt a.M.
Date of decision
Nov 9, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Conseil d’État - 09.11.2023

Case number
n° 459704
Country
  • France
Case Description

The association "Coordination contre le racisme et l’islamophobie" (CRI) and its president sought the annulment of a decree dated October 20, 2021, which ordered the association's dissolution. The government based the dissolution on two legal grounds: provocation to violent acts (Art. 212-1 1°)and provocation to discrimination, hatred, or violence against persons based on their religion or origin (Art. 212-1 6°). The applicants alleged procedural irregularities and a violation of the freedom of association. The Council of State ruled that vehement public criticism of the police and judiciary by an association representative in 2016, as well as certain social media messages, did not reach the legal threshold for inciting violent acts. On the other hand, the Council confirmed the provocation to Hatred and Discrimination. Between 2019 and 2021, the CRI published a high volume of posts claiming that public authorities, legislation, and national institutions were systematically hostile to Muslims and used antisemitism to target them. These publications elicited numerous hateful, antisemitic, and insulting comments from third parties on the association’s social media accounts. Given the grave and recurrent nature of these actions and the association's intent to spread these theories to a wide audience, the dissolution was deemed necessary and proportionate to the risk of public order disturbances.Given the grave and recurrent nature of these actions and the association's intent to spread these theories to a wide audience, the dissolution was deemed necessary and proportionate to the risk of public order disturbances.

Art. L. 212-1 und L. 212-1-1 des Code de la sécurité intérieure (CSI); Art. 10 European Convention on Human Rights

Name of Court
Conseil d’État
Date of decision
Nov 9, 2023
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Prohibition of Symbols, Parties & Associations
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgerichtshof Kassel - 09.11.2023

Case number
2 B 1578-23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Ban of a demonstration (Verbot einer Demonstration) - The applicant wishes to hold a pro-Palestinian demonstration under the veiled pretext of “Never again fascism. Keep the memory of the Reichspogromnacht alive, Fight Antisemitism''. But in reality, the spread of criminal pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli ideas is certainly to be expected. The applicant has attracted attention in the past for statements that deny the existence of the State of Israel and calling the H. terrorist attacks, which resulted in 1,400 deaths in Israel, a "successful act of resistance" and stating there was "no Hamas terror".

HVersFG § 14 Abs. 2 S. 1; GG Art. 8 Abs. 1; HV Art. 14

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgerichtshof Kassel
Date of decision
Nov 9, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
  • Constitutional Law
Case
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Miller and Power v Turner - 08.11.2023

Case number
[2023] EWHC 2799 (KB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Defamation - In Miller and Power v Turner, the plaintiffs brought a defamation action over tweets in which they were described as racist and antisemitic, while the defendant brought a counterclaim for alleged harassment through persistent online communication. The High Court dismissed both claims because the plaintiffs could not prove serious harm within the meaning of the Defamation Act 2013 and the conduct complained of did not reach the legal threshold for harassment against the defendant. The facts of the case were in the context of a public political discourse in which previous antisemitic hostility towards the defendant was also discussed.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
Nov 8, 2023
Subjects
  • Defamation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Daniel Miller & Anor v Luke Turner - 08.11.2023

Case number
QB-2019-003691
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The proceedings concerned claims for injunctive relief and damages arising from allegedly defamatory social media statements with antisemitism-related content, as well as a counterclaim alleging online harassment. The court held that, in respect of the antisemitism-related allegations and other serious accusations, the statutory requirement of “serious harm” under defamation law was not met, because a sufficient causal link between the publications and substantial reputational damage had not been established. The claim was therefore dismissed, with the court emphasising the importance of protecting freedom of expression even in the context of sharp and highly polarised debate. Defamation Act 2013, section 1; Defamation Act 2013, sections 2–4; Protection from Harassment Act 1997, sections 1, 2, 7; Human Rights Act 1998, section 12.

Name of Court
High Court Of Justice King's Bench Divison Media And Communications List
Date of decision
Nov 8, 2023
Subjects
  • Artistic Freedom
  • Defamation
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Magdeburg - 26.10.2023

Case number
5 B 309/23 MD
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Application for restoration of the suspensiv effect ( Antrag auf wiederherrstellung der aufschiebenden Wirkung) - the application is unsuccessfull. The applicant was a probationary police officer and is now dissmised from his police officer position. He was part of a chat group in which he posted an inappropriate photo of a disabled women and in which anti-Semetic ideas were shared, mere inaction (leaving others' reactions uncommented) does not constitute clear and persistent dissociation by the applicant.

§§ 23 III 1 Nr. 2, 34 I 3 BeamtStG; 80 III, V VwGO

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Magdeburg (5. Kammer)
Date of decision
Oct 26, 2023
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Hessischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof - 21.10.2023

Case number
2 B 1467/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Appeal against decision that the suspensive effect is restored (Beschwerde gegen einen Beschluss) - the appeal is unsuccesfull, there is no reason to assume that the planned demonstration will be connected to antisemitism.

GG Art. 8 Abs. 1; HV Art. 14; HVersFG § 14 Abs. 2 S. 1 Alt. 1

Name of Court
Hessischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof
Date of decision
Oct 21, 2023
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt am Main - 20.10.2023

Case number
5 L 3313/23.F
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Application for the restoration of the suspensive effect (Antrag auf Wiederherstellung der aufschiebenden Wirkung) - a pro-palastine demonstration was previously banned due to accusations of antisemitism and anti-Jewish behaviour - the suspensive effect is restored

Art. 8 Abs. 1 GG; Art. 14 HV; § 14 Abs. 2 S. 1 Alt. 1 HVersFG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt am Main
Date of decision
Oct 20, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Oberlandesgericht Frankfurt am Main - 19.10.2023

Case number
16 U 193/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Freedom of speech, Injunctive Relief (Meinungsfreiheit, Unterlassungsanspruch) - in a press article an author is accused of Holocaust trivialization - complaint and appeal against the operator of the website on which the article appeared are dismissed.

§§ 823, 1004 BGB iVm Art. 2 I GG

Name of Court
Oberlandesgericht Frankfurt am Main (16. Zivilsenat)
Date of decision
Oct 19, 2023
Subjects
  • Artistic Freedom
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Bayerischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof - 19.10.2023

Case number
10 CS 23.1862
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Application for the restoration of the suspensive effect (Antrag auf Wiederherstellung der aufschiebenden Wirkung) - a pro-palastine demonstration was previously banned due to accusations of anti-Semitism and anti-Jewish behaviour, the suspensive effect is restored

Art. 5 Abs. 1 , Art. 8 Abs. 1 GG, § 80 Abs. 5 VwGO, Art. 15 Abs. 1 BayVersG

Name of Court
Bayrischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof (10. Senat)
Date of decision
Oct 19, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Bayerischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof - 19.10.2023

Case number
M 10 S 23.5071
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Interim legal protection (Einstweiliger Rechtsschutz) - the application is unsuccessful, the pro-Palestinian demonstration is banned due to threats to the public order because of the accusation that antisemitic statements will be made

Art. 5 Abs. 1, Art. 8 Abs. 1 GG, § 80 Abs. 5 VwGO, Art. 15 Abs. 1 BayVersG

Name of Court
Bayrischer Gerichtshof (10. Senat)
Date of decision
Oct 19, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Cour de cassation - 17.10.2023

Case number
n° 22-83.197
Country
  • France
Case Description

Freedom of Speech, Incitement (Liberté d'expression, Incitation) - The members of the “Collectif 69” collective protested against a particular brand of medication in front of a pharmacy - They wore T-shirts with the slogan “Boycott Israel” and handed out flyers - The defendant was the manager of the website “europalestine.com,” which published a report on this action, for which she was accused of incitement - The defamation judgments were overturned by the Court of Cassation due to formal deficiencies

Art. 10 de la Convention de sauvegarde des droits de l'homme et des libertés fondamentales; Art. 24, al. 7, Art. 50 de la loi du 29 juillet 1881 sur la liberté de la presse; Art. 591 et 593 du code de procédure pénale

Name of Court
Cour de cassation, chambre criminelle
Date of decision
Oct 17, 2023
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgerichtshof Kassel - 14.10.2023

Case number
2 B 1423/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Decision of the lower court is overturned - applicant is not allowed to host pro-Palastine demonstration. A prohibition of an assembly is justified if there are sufficient indications that criminal offenses will occur at the planned assembly. Such indications can arise from: A nationwide extremely tense situation concerning pro-Palestinian assemblies, the applicant's denial of Hamas as a terrorist organization and of Israel's right to exist and previous incidents during similar demonstrations.

"GG Art 100 Abs 1, GG Art 2 Abs 1, GG Art 8, HV Art 133 Abs 1, HV Art 14, HVersFG § 14 Abs 2 "

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgerichtshof Kassel (2. Senat)
Date of decision
Oct 14, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
  • Constitutional Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt a. M. - 13.10.2023

Case number
5 L 3216/23.F
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

application for the restoration of the suspensive effedt (Antrag zur Wiederherstellung der aufschiebenden Wirkung) - the applicant is succesfull, the demonstration ,,A free Palestine'' can take place. Prohibiting an assembly is a measure of ultima ratio. The authority was unable to sufficiently justify an immediate threat to public safety. The appliant assured to exclude antisemetic participants, ensure order with stewards, and not allow any criminal offenses.

"GG Art. 8 Abs. 2, Art. 31, Art. 142, HVersFG § 14 "

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt a. M. (5. Ka,mmer)
Date of decision
Oct 13, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
  • Constitutional Law
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Cour d'appel de Paris, Pôle 2 - Chambre 7 - 12.10.2023

Case number
n° 22/03805
Country
  • France
Case Description

On January 2, 2017, the accused, M. K., published a post on Twitter (now X) referring to the IRIS institute as an organization "directed by the pro-Qatar antisemite P. B.". P. B., the founder and director of IRIS and a well-known geopolitical expert, along with the institute itself, filed a complaint for public insult. In the first instance, the court acquitted the accused, ruling that her remarks were protected by freedom of expression given P. B.'s status as a public figure and his involvement in public controversies. The court of appeals described the Characterization of the Insult: The court defined "antisemitism" as a systematic doctrine of hostility toward the Jewish community. Without specific factual justification within the tweet, labeling someone an "antisemite" is considered outrageous as it attacks honor and sensitivity. Because the tweet explicitly linked the accusation to the leadership of the institute, the insult also reflected poorly on IRIS.

L'alinéa 2 de l'article 29 de la loi du 29 juillet 1881; paragraphe 2 de l'article 10 de la Convention européenne des droits de l'homme.

Name of Court
Cour d'appel de Paris
Date of decision
Oct 12, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
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Edinburgh Sheriff Court – 12.10.2023

Case number
unreported
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Holocaust denial – a person is accused of denying the holocaust in France for which the French authorities seek an extradition - Sheriff court considers whether the material in question constitutes a breach of the peace in Scotland or was offensive

127(1) of the Communications Act 2003

Name of Court
Edinburgh Sheriff Court
Date of decision
Oct 12, 2023
Subjects
  • Asylum and other issues of residence
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
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Conseil d'État - 11.10.2023

Case number
n° 472466; n° 472468
Country
  • France
Case Description

Freedom of Religion (Liberté de religion) - In June 2018, the Beaucaire City Council decided to end the provision of alternative menus in school cafeterias - LDH and LICRA filed a lawsuit against this decision - The lower courts declared the city's decision to be unlawful - The Conseil d'État rejected the city's request for review - Two complaints led to one decision here

Art. L. 822-1 du code de justice administrative; Loi du 9 décembre 1905; Code de l'éducation; Convention internationale relative aux droits de l'enfant

Name of Court
Conseil d'État (3ème chambre)
Date of decision
Oct 11, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Religion
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
  • Constitutional Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Berlin - 11.10.2023

Case number
VG 1 L 428/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

application for the restoration of the suspensive effect (Antrag zur Wiederherstellung der aufschiebenden Wirkung) - the application is unsuccessfull, the applicant planned a pro palastine demonstration but this is banned due to antisemetic and anti-Israeli behavior at former demonstrations (for example: ,,Death to the Jews'', ,,Bombing Tel Aviv'').

Art. 8 I GG, § 80 V VwGO

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Berlin
Date of decision
Oct 11, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
  • Constitutional Law
Case
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Bundesgerichtshof - 05.10.2023

Case number
RiZ (R) 1/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Compulsory retirement of a judge (Obligatorische Versetzung eines Richters in den Ruhestand) - a judge who is also an AfD member makes statements during and before his time as a member of the Bundestag no longer compatible with the principles of the Basic Law (Grundgesetz) - his employer demands his retirement.

Art. 46 I 1, Art. 97 II GG; § 31 DRiG; § 5 I, § 8 I AbgG

Name of Court
Bundesgerichtshof
Date of decision
Oct 5, 2023
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Cour d’appel de Paris - 05.10.2023

Case number
n° 22/05502
Country
  • France
Case Description

The case involved a video posted online on October 6, 2020, titled "Episode 90," in which the defendant Dieudonné M'bala M'bala addressed Mme Rachel Khan. The victim, a granddaughter of Holocaust survivors who identifies with the Jewish community, had previously written an article in the Huffington Post criticizing antisemitic lyrics in rap music and questioning the rise of a "Dieudonné 2.0". In the video, the defendant made several controversial remarks, including references to "Jewish censorship" and "Jewish scams". The specific statement prosecuted as a public insult was: "tu resteras une pauvre négresse à la fin de l'histoire" ("you will remain a poor negress at the end of the story"). The lower court (Tribunal Judiciaire de Paris) had initially convicted the defendant on September 15, 2022, sentencing him to 100 day-fines of 100 euros each. The Paris Court of Appeal quashed the lower court's judgment, acquitted the defendant, arguing that therefore appears that, in the context in which they were made, the remarks in question cannot be considered to constitute offensive language, contemptuous terms, or invective.

However, the decision has since been overturned by the Cour de Cassation, and in January 2026, the Cour d'appel de Paris ruled that the defendant's statements did indeed constitute an insult.

l'article 10 de la Convention européenne des droits de l'homme

Name of Court
Cour d’appel de Paris
Date of decision
Oct 5, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Sąd Okręgowy Warszawa-Praga w Warszawie - 28.09.2023

Case number
VI Ka 95/23
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Glorification of the Holocaust/freedom of speech (Gloryfikacja Holokaustu/wolność słowa ) – Conviction for spreading antisemitic views and glorifying fascism

Art. 4, Art. 7, Art. 17 § 1 pkt 2, Art. 17 § 1 pkt 3, Art. 49 § 1, Art. 170 § 1(a), Art. 170 § 3, Art. 171 § 1, Art. 174, Art. 410, Art. 424 § 1 pkt 1, Art. 437 § 2, Art. 438 pkt 1, Art. 438 pkt 1(a), Art. 438 pkt 2, Art. 438 pkt 3, Art. 438 pkt 4, Art. 439, Art. 454 § 1 Kodeks postępowania karnego; Art. 1 § 2, Art. 4 § 1, Art. 12, Art. 26 § 1, Art. 26 § 2, Art. 37(a), Art. 85 § 1, Art. 86 § 1, Art. 115 § 1, Art. 115 § 2, Art. 241, Art. 241 § 1, Art. 256 § 1, Art. 257 Kodeks karny; Art. 13 ust. 1 Prawo prasowe; Art. 7 Konstytucja Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej; Art. 8 ust. 1Konwencja o ochronie praw człowieka i podstawowych wolności

Name of Court
Sąd Okręgowy Warszawa-Praga w Warszawie - VI Wydział Karny Odwoławczy
Date of decision
Sep 28, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Constitutional Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Minden - 20.09.2023

Case number
8 L 682/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Application for the restoration of the suspensive affect (Antrag zur Wiederherstellung der aufschiebenden Wirkung) - the application is unsuccessfull, the applicant is Part of the NPD, has a car licence plate, that hat a connection to nationalsocialism and sympasises with the anti-Sematic ideology, his gun licence has been revoced.

§ 80 II, III, V VwGO, §§ 45 V, 4 I Nr. 2 WaffG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Minden (8. Kammer)
Date of decision
Sep 20, 2023
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
  • Constitutional Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht München - 18.09.2023

Case number
M 30 X 23.4359
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Search and seizure order under association law (Vereinsrechtliche Durchsuchungs- und Beschlagnahmeanordnung) - the association is antisemitic and does not share the values of a democratic and liberal basic order, it was previously banned.

Art. 13 Abs. 2, 103 Abs. 1 GG; §§ 10, 3 ff. VereinsG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht München (30. Kammer)
Date of decision
Sep 18, 2023
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
  • Constitutional Law
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Bayerischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof - 14.09.2023

Case number
10 CE 23.796
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Urgent application - Mainly unsuccessful urgent application by the Bavarian AfD against the observation of the entire party by the Bavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution and its public announcement; the party is considered to be antisemitic, islamophobic and right-wing.

GG Art. 21 Abs. 1, Art. 73 Abs. 1 Nr. 10 lit. b, Art 87 Abs. 1 S. 2; BVerfSchG § 3 Abs. 1 Nr. 1, § 4 Abs. 1 S. 1 lit. a, Abs. 2; BayVSG Art. 5 Abs. 1 S. 1 Nr. 1, Nr. 2, S. 2, Art. 3 S. 1, Art. 4 Abs. 1 S. 1.

Name of Court
Bayerischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof
Date of decision
Sep 14, 2023
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Other
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
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Verwaltungsgerichtshof Munich 14.09.2023

Case number
10 CE 23.796
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Urgent application (Eilantrag) – mainly unsuccessful urgent application by the Bavarian AfD against the observation of the entire party by the Bavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution and its public announcement. The court largely upheld the monitoring, citing activities, internal factions (“Der Flügel,” “Junge Alternative”), and statements deemed hostile to democracy or human dignity; the party is considered to be anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, and right-wing, though the court ordered the removal of one “extremist” label from a press release.

Name of Court
VGH München
Date of decision
Sep 14, 2023
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Discrimination
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Hannover - 14.09.2023

Case number
14 A 5022/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

The defendant is removed from his position as a civil servant (Entlassung eines Beamten) - the defendant was part of a chatgroup in which he shared and supported antisemetic and right wing ideas and in which he trivialized the Holocaust. He was dismissed from service because the relationship of trust between the civil servant and his employer had been irrevocably destroyed.

"BBG § 77 Abs. 1 S. 1 BDG § 20 Abs. 1 S. 1"

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Hannover (14. Kammer)
Date of decision
Sep 14, 2023
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
  • Insult of State Officials
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Sąd Najwyższy - 14.09.2023

Case number
I KK 136/23
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Cassation review of criminal proceedings concerning alleged antisemitic and xenophobic hate speech on social media. The accused was acquitted by lower courts, which found the statements did not meet the threshold of criminal insult or incitement and lacked intent. The Supreme Court quashed those judgments, holding that liability for public insult does not require hate motivation but intentional use of degrading expressions in a public context. It emphasised that meaning must be assessed in its social context and that courts must independently determine whether statements amount to insult or incitement to hatred.

Art. 256 § 1, Art. 257 Criminal Code

Art. 7, Art. 410, Art. 433 § 2, Art. 457 § 3 Code of Criminal Procedure

Name of Court
Sąd Najwyższy - Izba Karna
Date of decision
Sep 14, 2023
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Koblenz - 12.09.2023

Case number
2 K 354/23.KO
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Action for annulment of dismissal from probationary civil service (Anfechtungsklage gegen eine Entlassung aus dem Beamtenverhältnis auf Widerruf) - Dismissal of a police cadet from probationary civil service for sharing a Nazi-themed, Holocaust-mocking image in a WhatsApp group, thereby violating the duty of loyalty to the free democratic constitutional order. The court emphasized that such conduct – even if isolated or occurring before entering service – justifies dismissal.

StGB §§ 86a, 130; BBG §§ 37 Abs. 1, Abs. 2 S. 1, 60 Abs. 1 S. 3; BPolBG § 2; GG Art. 12 Abs. 1 S. 1

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Koblenz
Date of decision
Sep 12, 2023
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Bayerischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof München - 14.09.2023

Case number
10 CE 23.796
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Urgent application (Eilantrag) – mainly unsuccessful urgent application by the Bavarian AfD against the observation of the entire party by the Bavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution and its public announcement. The court largely upheld the monitoring, citing activities, internal factions (“Der Flügel,” “Junge Alternative”), and statements deemed hostile to democracy or human dignity; the party is considered to be antisemitic, islamophobic, and right-wing, though the court ordered the removal of one “extremist” label from a press release.

GG Art. 21 Abs. 1, Art. 73 Abs. 1 Nr. 10 lit. b, Art 87 Abs. 1 S. 2; BVerfSchG § 3 Abs. 1 Nr. 1, § 4 Abs. 1 S. 1 lit. a, Abs. 2; BayVSG Art. 5 Abs. 1 S. 1 Nr. 1, Nr. 2, S. 2, Art. 3 S. 1, Art. 4 Abs. 1 S. 1

Name of Court
Bayerischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof München
Date of decision
Sep 12, 2023
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgerichtshof Mannheim -21.10.2023

Case number
3 S 1669/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Appeal against the decision of the administrative court (Beschwerde gegen eine Beschluss des Verwaltungsgerichts) - the demonstration was banned due to anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli statements - the administrative court considers this to be unlawful and rules that only conditions may be imposed, a ban would go too far.

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgerichtshof Mannheim
Date of decision
Sep 10, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Israel-related incident
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt am Main - 07.09.2023

Case number
5 L 2671/23.F
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Order to secure evidence – the court issued a search and seizure warrant against members of the banned association Die Artgemeinschaft, which espouses right-wing extremist, racist, and antisemitic ideologies. The order authorises searches to secure evidence and assets, as well as to identify additional members; political motives for the ban are irrelevant to this justification.

GG Art. 4 Abs. 1, Art. 9 Abs. 2, Art. 13 Abs. 2; VereinsG § 3, § 4 Abs. 2

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt a.M.
Date of decision
Sep 7, 2023
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Gelsenkirchen - 05.09.2023

Case number
4 L 1374/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Application for restoration of suspensive effect (Antrag zur Wiederherstellung der aufschiebenden Wirkung) - A lecturer’s contract at the Police University NRW was revoked after she criticised the police, citing racism, antisemitism, and right-wing extremism among some officers. The court found the revocation unlawful due to a lack of proper overall assessment and disproportionate interference with free speech.

§ 49 Abs. 2 Satz 1 Nr. 3 VwVfG NRW

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Gelsenkirchen
Date of decision
Sep 5, 2023
Subjects
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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R v Podsiad Sharp – 31.08.2023

Case number
unreported
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Holocaust denial (Holocaustleugnung) – Former prison officer is on trial for being in possession of a digital copy of a digital publication that promotes the murder of non-whites and Jews – 8 years imprisonment

s 58 Terrorism Act 2000

Name of Court
Crown Court at Sheffield
Date of decision
Aug 31, 2023
Subjects
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Düsseldorf - 28.08.2023

Case number
35 K 3126/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Disciplinary action (Disziplinarklage) – dismissal from civil servant status due to involvement in a WhatsApp chat group where antisemitic, inciting, xenophobic, racist, and misanthropic content glorifying or trivializing National Socialism was shared, sometimes including the use of anti-constitutional symbols.

§ 47 I BeamtStG; §§ 5 I Nr. 5, 10 LDG NRW

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Düsseldorf
Date of decision
Aug 28, 2023
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Berlin - 23.08.2023

Case number
24 K 7/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Compulsory action (Verpflichtungsklage) – A Palestinian refugee challenged the cancellation of his subsidiary protection due to accusations of antisemitism. Despite low-level support for terrorist groups like PFLP and HAMAS, the court found no compelling threat to national security or public order and overturned the decision.

§§ 5 IV, 53 I, 53 IIIa, 54 I Nr.2; RL 2011/95/EU Art. 24 II

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Berlin
Date of decision
Aug 23, 2023
Subjects
  • Asylum and other issues of residence
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Bundesverwaltungsgericht - 21.08.2023

Case number
6 A 3.21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Association banned (Vereinsverbot) - association is radically Islamist and anti-Israeli.

EMRK Art. 11; GRCh Art. 12, 52 III; RL (EU) 2017/541 Art. 1, 18 Buchst. d; GG Art. 4 I, 9 I, II; VereinsG §§ 2, 3, 10, 11, 12, 17 Nrn. 1 und 3; GmbHG § 5a; VwGO §§ 50 I Nr. 2, 86 I, 108 I 1,113 I 1, 121, 154 I, 173 S. 1; ZPO § 256 II; VwVfG § 28 II Nr. 1; AO § 51 III 2

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt am Main
Date of decision
Aug 21, 2023
Subjects
  • Israel-related incident
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Landgericht München II - 17.08.2023

Case number
6 Ns 510 Js 5/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Freedom of speech, Incitement (Meinungsfreiheit, Volksverhetzung) - a former AfD Member of Parliament uploaded a video on Facebook in which he compares the measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic with the 1938 pogroms - the appeal is rejected.

StGB § 130 Abs. 3, GG Art. 5 Abs. 1

Name of Court
Landgericht München II
Date of decision
Aug 17, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht München - 16.08.2023

Case number
M 13L DA 23.3850
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Search and seizure order in disciplinary proceedings (Durchsuchungs- und Beschlagnahmeanordnung im Disziplinarverfahren) – due to suspected affiliation with the Ülkücü movement, a group known for Turkish right-wing extremism, ultranationalism, racism, antisemitism, and the glorification of violence.

BayDG Art. 19, Art. 29, Art. 47 Abs. 1; BeamtStG § 34, § 47; StPO § 94, 102, § 110

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht München
Date of decision
Aug 16, 2023
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Magdeburg - 14.08.2023

Case number
15 B 29/23 MD
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Dismissal of a police officer for Turkish nationalist right-wing extremist views (Dienstenthebung eines Polizeibeamten wegen türkisch-nationalistischer rechtsextremer Gesinnung) - court upheld the provisional suspension of a probationary police officer for displaying symbols of the far-right "Grey Wolves" movement, which espouses, among other things, antisemitic ideology. The conduct violated his duty of loyalty and damaged the reputation of the police force.

BeamtStG § 23 Abs. 3 S. 1 Nrn. 1 u. 2, § 33 Abs. 1 S. 2, S. 3, § 34 Abs. 1 S. 3, § 47 Abs. 1 S. 2; DG LSA § 38 Abs. 1 S. 1, S. 2; LBG LSA § 34 Abs. 4 S. 1

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Magdeburg
Date of decision
Aug 14, 2023
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Case
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Bundesgerichtshof - 08.08.2023

Case number
3 StR 499/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Preparation of a serious act of violence endangering the state, embezzlement, fraud, violations of the Weapons and Explosives Act (Vorbereitung einer schweren staatsgefährdenden Gewalttat, Unterschlagung, Betrug, Verstöße gegen das Waffen- und Sprengstoffgesetz) - For years, the defendant had held antisemitic, racist and antidemocratic views - Based on conspiracy theories, he was convinced that "Zionism" was waging a systematic race war in which millions of migrants were being brought to Germany. This would ultimately lead to the "extinction of the Germany race" - He had planned terrorist attacks on high ranking politicians and public figures with a pro-refugee attitude - the appeal was rejected

§§ 89a, 263, 246 StGB

Name of Court
Bundesgerichtshof
Date of decision
Aug 8, 2023
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Israel-related Incidents
  • Pogroms and Violent Attacks on Persons
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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BayObLG - 02.08.2023

Case number
203 StRR 287/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

The Bavarian Higher Regional Court has upheld the decision of the Fürth Local Court. Belittling within the meaning of Section 130 III of the German Criminal Code (StGB) may also be deemed to have occurred if a defendant equates his own fate with the persecution and extermination of Jews during the Nazi era.

§ 130 Abs. 3 StGB

Name of Court
Bayerisches Oberstes Landesgericht
Date of decision
Aug 2, 2023
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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OVG Berlin-Brandenburg - 27.07.2023

Case number
4 S 11/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Dismissal of a civil servant (Entlassung eines Beamten) – A police candidate was dismissed due to doubts about his loyalty to the constitution after liking posts that trivialised the Holocaust and promoted far-right content.

BeamtStG § 33; GG Art. 5 Abs. 1, 33 Abs. 5

Name of Court
Oberverwaltungsgericht Berlin-Brandenburg
Date of decision
Jul 27, 2023
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Düsseldorf - 25.07.2023

Case number
2 K 2957/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Removal from public service (Entlassung aus dem öffentlichen Dienst) - A police cadet was dismissed for sharing Holocaust-trivializing images at 17. The court upheld the dismissal, citing doubts about his loyalty to the constitution and emphasizing that police must uphold democratic values even privately. His behavior showed serious character flaws and lack of remorse, making him unfit for service.

VwGO § 113 Abs. 1 S. 1; BeamtStG § 23 Abs. 4; GG Art. 12 Abs. 1 S. 1

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Düsseldorf
Date of decision
Jul 25, 2023
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Köln - 24.07.2023

Case number
20 L 835/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Unreliability under firearms law (Waffenrechtliche Unzuverlässigkeit) – The court upheld the revocation of the applicant’s firearm permits and the imposition of a weapons ban, citing his membership in the "Ülkücü" movement ("Grey Wolves"). The group is regarded as extremely nationalist, anti-democratic, and antisemitic. According to the court, membership alone is sufficient to establish unreliability under weapons law; no proof of individual extremist conduct is required.

§ 80 V VwGO; §§ 45 Abs. 2 Satz 1, 4 Abs. 1 Nr. 2, 5 Abs. 2 Nr. 3 WaffG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Köln
Date of decision
Jul 24, 2023
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Bundesgerichtshof - 21.07.2023

Case number
V ZR112/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Listings of stolen art in public database (Eintragung von gestohlener Kunst in öffentlicher Datenbank) - claimant seeks injunctive relief and the deleting of a listed art piece from the database - Concerns question whether listing entails a claim of ownership (Eigentumsanmaßung).

§§ 1004 Abs.1, 903 S 1 BGB; Washington Declaration

Name of Court
Bundesgerichtshof (V. Zivilsenat)
Date of decision
Jul 21, 2023
Subjects
  • Stolen Art
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Sąd Okręgowy w Białymstoku - 04.07.2023

Case number
III K 174/21
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Incitement, Racist and National Socialist Symbols (Podżeganie, symbole rasistowskie i narodowosocjalistyczne) - Members of a group with neo-Nazi and racist ideology spread National Socialist propaganda with swastikas and Hitler salutes - Use of the slogan “I apologize not for Jedwabne”

Art. 256 § 1, Art. 258 § 1, Art. 65 § 1, Art. 280 § 1, Art. 158 § 1, Art. 4 § 1 Kodeks karny

Name of Court
Sąd Okręgowy w Białymstoku
Date of decision
Jul 4, 2023
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
  • Prohibition of Symbols, Parties & Associations
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Landesarbeitsgericht Berlin-Brandenburg - 28.06.2023

Case number
23 Sa 1107/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Extraordinary dismissal of a journalist (außerordentliche Kündigung) - a journalist was dismissed from a public broadcasting service due to allegations of antisemitism - the court affirms that the journalist must be employed until the end of her contract - concerns also the involvement of the labour representative (Personalrat)

§ 9 Abs. 1 S. 2 KSchG; § 626 Abs. 1 BGB

Name of Court
Landesarbeitsgericht Berlin-Brandenburg (23. Kammer)
Date of decision
Jun 28, 2023
Subjects
  • Israel-related incident
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Bundesgerichtshof - 28.06.2023

Case number
StR 424/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Incitement to hatred and formation of a criminal organization (Volksverhetzung, Gründung und Mitgliedschaft in krimineller Vereinigung) - on appeal the court finds the defendants guilty of several counts - the defendants were part of the Goyim movement and had distributed antisemitic content

§§ 129, 130, 25 Abs. 2 StGB

Name of Court
Bundesgerichtshof (3. Strafsenat)
Date of decision
Jun 28, 2023
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Prohibition of Symbols, Parties & Associations
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Berlin - 22.06.2023

Case number
8 K 97.19 V
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Action for declaratory judgment (Fortsetzungsfeststellungsklage) - The plaintiff seeks a declaration that the revocation of her Schengen visa by the defendant was unlawful; her visa was revoked because she was part of the BDS movement, which makes antisemitic and anti-Israeli statements, whereby it could be assumed that the plaintiff is a threat to the security of germany - the court considers this decision to be unlawful, the revocation of the visa goes too far.

VwGO § 113 Abs. 1 S. 4; Schengener Grenzkodex Art. 6 Abs. 1 Buchst. e; VwVfG § 28 Abs. 1, Abs. 2, § 45 Abs. 1 Nr. 3, § 46; GG Art. 5 Abs. 1 S. 1

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Berlin
Date of decision
Jun 22, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Oberverwaltungsgericht Berlin-Brandenburg - 16.06.2023

Case number
OVG 3 B 44/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Action against the decision of the German Bundestag on BDS (Klage gegen Beschluss des Deutschen Bundestages zu BDS) - The plaintiffs are supporters of the so-called "Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions" campaign - in 2019 the German Bundestag had decided to adopt the non-legally binding motion to counter the BDS movement - the plaintiffs allege interference with a number of basic rights - the court determines that the question cannot be addressed in as part of the administrative jurisdiction, it being a question of constitutional law

§ 40 Abs 1 S 1 VwGO

Name of Court
Oberverwaltungsgericht Berlin-Brandenburg
Date of decision
Jun 16, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
  • Constitutional Law
Case
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Sąd Rejonowy Szczecin-Centrum w Szczecinie - 16.06.2023

Case number
IX P 154/22
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns dismissal without notice of a civil service employee for social media activity containing xenophobic and antisemitic statements; the court dismissed his claim, holding that publishing such content, including explicit antisemitic remarks about Jews, constituted a serious breach of fundamental duties and justified termination, emphasising that public officials are subject to heightened standards, that such speech is not protected by freedom of expression, and that the dismissal was a lawful and proportionate response rather than discrimination.

Art. 52 §1, Art. 56 §1, Art. 183d Polish Labour Code

Art. 76 Civil Service Act

Art. 54 Constitution of the Republic of Poland

Name of Court
Sąd Rejonowy Szczecin-Centrum w Szczecinie IX Wydział Pracy i Ubezpieczeń Społecznych
Date of decision
Jun 16, 2023
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Bundesgerichtshof - 13.06.2023

Case number
StB 29/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Membership in a criminal organization (Mitgliedschaft in einer kriminellen Vereinigung) - Appeal against a judgement - the appeal is dismissed and was directed against preliminary proceedings on suspicion of forming a criminal organization that planned i.a. attacks on synagogues and Jewish institutions

§ 120 Abs. 2 S. 1 GVG; §§ 129 Abs. 1, Abs. 2, 303, 304 StGB; §§ 102, 105 StPO

Name of Court
Bundesgerichtshof (3. Strafsenat)
Date of decision
Jun 13, 2023
Subjects
  • Attack on Jewish Places of Worship
  • Discrimination
  • Prohibition of Symbols, Parties & Associations
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Oberverwaltungsgericht Berlin-Brandenburg - 25.05.2023

Case number
80 D 1/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Appeal (Berufung) - A Berlin police officer faced disciplinary action for multiple service violations, including assaulting a journalist, making xenophobic and anti-Zionist remarks, and wearing a provocative T-shirt. While the appeal sought his dismissal, the court upheld only a salary reduction – the appeal was unsuccessful.

GG Art. 5 Abs. 1; EMRK Art. 6 Abs. 1 Satz 1; BeamtStG §§ 33 Abs. 2, 34 Abs. 1 Satz 3, 35 Abs. 1 Satz 2, 47 Abs. 1 Satz 1; LBG BE § 101 Satz 2; DiszG BE §§ 5 Abs. 1 Nr. 3 und 5, 8, 13 Abs. 1, 14 Abs. 1 Nr. 2, 41; BDG §§ 64 Abs. 1 Satz 2, 65 Abs. 4; StGB § 240 Abs. 1

Name of Court
Oberverwaltungsgericht Berlin-Brandenburg
Date of decision
May 25, 2023
Subjects
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Amtsgericht Plön - 23.05.2023

Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Incitement (Volksverhetzung) - Trial against a doctor who had i.a. equated the Covid-19-vaccine with the Holocaust and Nazi politics with Israeli politics - Question of whether his remark were directed to the Israeli government or Jews as a group

Name of Court
Amtsgericht Plön
Date of decision
May 23, 2023
Subjects
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
  • Israel-related incident
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Cour de cassation - 19.12.2023

Case number
22-87.200
Country
  • France
Case Description

Incitement/Boycott (Provocation à la discrimination/ Boycott) – The Court of Appeal justified its decision by stating that the defendant was guilty of inciting to racial hatred and violence – In a speech given by the defendant in a mosque, he accused the Israeli people of moral corruption, citing historical grievances such as the killing of prophets, the falsification of the Torah, and idol worship (the golden calf). He also alleged that Israelis exerted disproportionate control over global political and economic channels.

Art. 24 Loi du 29 juillet 1881 sur la liberté de la presse.

Name of Court
Cour de cassation
Date of decision
May 19, 2023
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Cour de cassation - 17.11.2023

Case number
22-83.197
Country
  • France
Case Description

Incitement/Boycott (Provocation à la discrimination/ Boycott) – The Court of Appeal justified its decision when it acquitted the publication director of a website of public provocation to discriminate against a company on the grounds that it belonged to the Israeli nation – The statements in question, which reported on militant action in favour of the Palestinian cause, called for a boycott of the company's products – But it did not incited any person to discriminate against the aforementioned company, and did not contain any incitement to discrimination, and did not target this company because of its membership of the Israeli nation but because of its alleged financial support for the political choices made by that country's leaders against the Palestinians.

Art. 24 Loi du 29 juillet 1881 sur la liberté de la presse.

Name of Court
Cour de cassation
Date of decision
May 17, 2023
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Bundesgerichtshof - 16.05.2023

Case number
StB 20/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Appeal against search warrant (Beschwerde gegen Untersuchungsbeschluss) - the appeal is dismissed - the criminal organization had planned i.a. attacks on synagogues

Name of Court
Bundesgerichtshof (3. Strafsenat)
Date of decision
May 16, 2023
Subjects
  • Attack on Jewish Places of Worship
  • Prohibition of Symbols, Parties & Associations
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt a.M. - 12.05.2023

Case number
5 L 1457/23 F
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Application for restoration of suspensive effect (Antrag auf Widerherrstellung der aufschiebenden Wirkung) - Demonstration on “Nakba Day.” The plaintiff challenged a restriction prohibiting calls for the destruction of Israel. The court lifted the restriction due to a lack of concrete evidence of an immediate threat to public safety.

§ 14 Abs. 1 HVersFG; Art. 14 HV; § 80 Abs. 5 Satz 1 VwGO

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt a.M.
Date of decision
May 12, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt a.M. - 12.05.2023

Case number
5 L 1457/23 F
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Application for restoration of suspensive effect (Antrag auf Widerherrstellung der aufschiebenden Wirkung) - The court reviewed a government-imposed restriction that prohibited calls for the destruction of Israel at a “Nakba Day” demonstration. The authorities had justified the measure based on vague assumptions about the situation in the Middle East, previous incidents in Berlin, and slogans from unrelated past protests. The court found these reasons lacked sufficiently concrete evidence of an imminent threat specific to the planned event. It lifted the restriction.

§ 14 Abs. 1 HVersFG; Art. 14 HV; § 80 Abs. 5 Satz 1 VwGO

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt a.M.
Date of decision
May 12, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Israel-related incident
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Oberlandesgericht Frankfurt am Main - 08.05.2023

Case number
5-2 StE 4/22 - 5a - 1/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Founding of a terrorist organization (Gründung einer terroristischen Vereinigung), a subgroup of the so called Atomwaffen Division - the group propagates "white supremacy" and is calling for the murder and expulsion of migrants, Black persons and Jews - conviction under juvenile criminal law

Name of Court
Oberlandesgericht Frankfurt am Main (5. Strafsenat, Staatsschutzsenat)
Date of decision
May 8, 2023
Subjects
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • International Crimes
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt a.M. - 04.05.2023

Case number
7 K 851/20.F
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Declaratory Action (Feststellungsklage) - judgment concerning a press release by the mayor, who called for the cancellation of an event due to alleged ties to the BDS movement and labeled it "antisemitic." The court ruled the statement unlawful, finding it violated the principle of objectivity and restricted the plaintiff’s freedom of expression. At the same time, the court affirmed that labeling the BDS campaign as "antisemitic" is not inherently incorrect.

Art. 5 Abs. 1, Art. 28 Abs. 2 S. 1 GG; § 113 VwGO

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Frankfurt a.M.
Date of decision
May 4, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Warszawie - 26.04.2023

Case number
VII SA/Wa 325/23
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns a supervisory decision annulling the appointment of a director of a municipal cultural institution, challenged by the City of Warsaw; the administrative court annulled the supervisory act, holding that public authorities cannot interfere with cultural institutions based on ideological disagreement with artistic programmes, including those addressing minority issues or discrimination, and emphasised that such interference threatens pluralism and the ability to address topics like antisemitism, while supervisory review must be limited strictly to legality and not value based judgments.

Art. 85, Art. 91 Polish Act on Municipal Self-Government

Art. 16 Act on Organising and Conducting Cultural Activity

Art. 2, Art. 7, Art. 32, Art. 60, Art. 73, Art. 171 Constitution of the Republic of Poland

Art. 8 European Charter of Local Self-Government

Name of Court
Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Warszawie
Date of decision
Apr 26, 2023
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Freedom of Speech
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Warszawie - 19.04.2023

Case number
VII SA/Wa 10/23
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns whether certain land should be recognised as part of a former Jewish cemetery and protected as cultural heritage; the court upheld the refusal, finding no sufficient evidence that the land functioned as a cemetery or contained confirmed Jewish burial sites, holding that unproven claims of wartime burials were insufficient, and emphasising that protection of Jewish heritage requires clear, verified historical or material evidence.

Art. 3, Art. 6, Art. 7, Art. 9, Art. 89, Art. 93 Act on the Protection of Monuments

Art. 7, Art. 77 § 1, Art. 80, Art. 127 § 2, Art. 138 § 1 Code of Administrative Procedure

Art. 134 § 1, Art. 145 § 1, Art. 151 Law on Proceedings before Administrative Courts

Name of Court
Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Warszawie
Date of decision
Apr 19, 2023
Subjects
  • Cemetery Desecration
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Harris v Harris - 17.04.2023

Case number
[2000] EWHC 231 (Fam)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Children's contact to father after divorce - father had compared family court's actions in matters of father/child relationships as comparable to the Nazi Death Camps

Children Act 1989, Section 39 Children and Young Persons Act 1933, Section 12(4) of the Human Rights Act 1998, Arts. 8, 10 ECHR

Name of Court
High Court of Justice, Family Division
Date of decision
Apr 17, 2023
Subjects
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Sąd Okręgowy w Warszawie - 7.04.2023

Case number
XXV C 532/22
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns revocation of a donation due to gross ingratitude, where the court found that the defendant’s violent and abusive conduct toward the claimants justified returning the property; in the course of the dispute, allegations of antisemitism and religious discrimination were raised by the defendant, but the court found no evidence supporting them and treated such claims as a rhetorical tool within the conflict rather than a substantiated issue of antisemitism.

Art. 64, Art. 898 §1, Art. 898 §2 Civil Code

Art. 1047 §1 Code of Civil Procedure

Name of Court
Sąd Okręgowy w Warszawie XXV Wydział Cywilny
Date of decision
Apr 7, 2023
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Sąd Okręgowy we Wrocławiu - 30.03.2023

Case number
IV Ka 1686/22
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Insult and incitement to hatred (Znieważenie i podżeganie do nienawiści) - conviction for public speech in which derogatory remarks were made about Jews

Art. 2 § 2, Art. 4, Art. 5 § 2, Art. 7, Art. 167, Art. 170 § 1 pt 2, Art. 170 § 1 pt 3, Art. 193 § 1, Art. 410, Art. 424, Art. 436, Art. 437 § 2, Art. 438 pt 1, Art. 438 pt 1(a), Art. 438 pkt 2, Art. 438 pkt 3, Art. 438 pkt 4, Art. 439, Art. 442 § 2, Art. 454 § 1 Kodeks postępowania karnego; Art. 9 § 1, Art. 11 § 2, Art. 256 § 1, Art. 257 Kodeks karny

Name of Court
Sąd Okręgowy we Wrocławiu Wydział IV Karny Odwoławczy
Date of decision
Mar 30, 2023
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Berlin - 22.03.2023

Case number
24 K 256.19
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Action for a declaratory judgment regarding the unlawfulness of a ban on participating in a political event (Klage auf Feststellung der Rechtswidrigkeit eines Verbots der Teilnahme an einer Veranstaltung) – The plaintiff, a Jordanian citizen of Palestinian descent, had been imprisoned in Israel for involvement in a terrorist attack and was therefore not to be granted a residence permit in Germany when she was invited to an event marking International Women’s Day. The media accused her of antisemitism – the ban was ultimately deemed unlawful.

Art. 5 Abs. 1 GG; § 28 Abs. 2 Nr. 1 VwVfG; § 47 Abs. 1 AufenthG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Berlin
Date of decision
Mar 22, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Amtsgericht Fürth - 22.02.2023

Case number
421 Cs 466 Js 58626/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

The defendant, a retiree who had been in a long-standing legal dispute (over 36 years) regarding the recognition of her German citizenship, sent an email to several press offices, the Federal Constitutional Court, and the Federal Ministry of Justice. In this email, she equated her personal legal struggle and her treatment by German officials with the systematic persecution of German Jews under the Nazi regime. The court held that by equating her personal fate with the fate of Jews destined for extermination, the defendant qualitatively and quantitatively devalued the Holocaust.

§ 130 Abs.3 StGB; § 6 Abs. 1 des Völkerstrafgesetzbuches

Name of Court
Amtsgericht Fürth
Date of decision
Mar 22, 2023
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Warszawie - 17.03.2023

Case number
VII SA/Wa 2673/22
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns permission for archaeological research linked to a municipal investment near a former Jewish cemetery; the administrative court dismissed the complaint, holding that the permit was lawfully issued with proper safeguards and supervision, that the works concerned a plot not included in the officially protected Jewish cemetery, and therefore did not require consultation with Jewish religious authorities, while also confirming that the authorities conducted the proceedings correctly and that the decision complied with both procedural and substantive law.

Art. 36(1)(5), Art. 89(1), Art. 93(1) Act on the Protection of Monuments and the Care of Monuments

Art. 7, Art. 8, Art. 77(1), Art. 80, Art. 138 § 1(1) Code of Administrative Procedure

Art. 145 § 1, Art. 151 Law on Proceedings before Administrative Courts

Name of Court
Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Warszawie
Date of decision
Mar 17, 2023
Subjects
  • Attack on Jewish Places of Worship
  • Cemetery Desecration
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Gdańsku - 3.02.2023

Case number
III SA/Gd 594/22
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns a request to change a surname to one associated with Jewish heritage, justified by claimed Jewish ancestry and identity; the court set aside the approving decision due to serious procedural deficiencies, holding that the authority relied solely on the applicant’s declarations without verifying his Jewish origin or entitlement to the name, and emphasised that claims relating to Jewish identity and heritage must be assessed objectively and based on evidence, particularly where the surname has cultural or historical significance requiring a genuine familial link.

Art. 2(1), Art. 3(1)–(2), Art. 4(1), Art. 5, Art. 10(1), Art. 11a Act on Change of Name and Surname

Art. 7, Art. 77(1), Art. 80, Art. 104, Art. 107 § 3–4 Code of Administrative Procedure

Art. 1 § 1–2 Law on the System of Administrative Courts

Art. 52 § 1, Art. 53 § 3, Art. 106 § 3, Art. 134 § 1, Art. 145 § 1(c) Law on Proceedings before Administrative Courts

Name of Court
Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Gdańsku
Date of decision
Mar 3, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Religion
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Bayerisches Oberlandesgericht - 17.02.2023

Case number
207 StRR 32/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Incitement to hatred (Volksverhetzung), Trivialising of genocide (Verharmlosen von Völkermordhandlungen) - comparison of protective measures in the COVID-19 pandemic with the Shoah - assessing the suitability of the action to disturb the public peace (Eignung zur Friedensstörung)

Name of Court
Bayerisches Oberlandesgericht
Date of decision
Feb 17, 2023
Subjects
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Landgericht München - 10.02.2023

Case number
26 O 197/23
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Freedom of speech, Injunctive Relief (Meinungsfreiheit, Unterlassungsanspruch) - a publisher wants an online platform operator to stop the dissemination of a review a third person wrote about a book published by the former - the review contains accusations regarding antisemitism and conspiracy theories.

BGB § 823 Abs. 1, § 1004 GG Art. 1 Abs. 1, Art. 2 Abs. 1

Name of Court
Landgericht München
Date of decision
Feb 10, 2023
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Sąd Okręgowy we Wrocławiu - 2.02.2023

Case number
IV Ka 1408/22
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns public speeches and online publications containing antisemitic and xenophobic hate speech targeting Jews and Ukrainians; the appellate court upheld the conviction, finding that the statements conveyed contempt and hostility and were capable of inciting hatred, clarifying that liability does not require explicit wording if the message promotes degradation, and emphasising that freedom of expression does not protect speech that violates the dignity and rights of others.

Art. 256 § 1, Art. 257, Art. 11 § 2, Art. 12 Criminal Code

Art. 4, Art. 5 § 2, Art. 7, Art. 366 § 1, Art. 410, Art. 438 Code of Criminal Procedure

Name of Court
Sąd Okręgowy we Wrocławiu - IV Wydział Karny
Date of decision
Feb 2, 2023
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Riley v Sivier - 01.02.2023

Case number
[2022] EWHC 2891 (KB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The defendant, Mike Sivier, applied for leave to appeal against the libel judgment in favour of Rachel Riley, which ordered him to pay damages and costs. The Court of Appeal rejected the application on the grounds that the appeal had no realistic prospect of success and that Sivier's reliance on public interest failed due to the lack of a prior hearing of the plaintiff and because of manifestly unreasonable assumptions. The court thus upheld the decision of the lower court in its entirety.

Name of Court
Court of Appeal
Date of decision
Feb 1, 2023
Subjects
  • Defamation
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Oberverwaltungsgericht Sachsen-Anhalt - 31.01.2023

Case number
11 L 2/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Pension Revocation (Aberkennung des Ruhegehalts) due to candidacy for the NPD - court asses the public official's loyalty to the constitution and duties (Verfassungstreue und Wohlverhaltenspflicht) - appeal is not allowed and the pension is revoked

§§ 12 f, 55f, 77 Abs 1 BDG, § 60f BBG, § 178 Abs 2 S 1 SGB

Name of Court
Oberverwaltungsgericht Sachsen-Anhalt (11. Senat)
Date of decision
Jan 31, 2023
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Freedom of Speech
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Berlin - 09.01.2023

Case number
4 K 292/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Compulsory action (Verpflichtungsklage) - existing authorization for access to classified information is revoked and application to authorize the plaintiff to access classified information is rejected due to membership in an antisemitic and right-wing extremist chat group, here the National Socialist rule is devastated - there would be doubts about the commitment of the plaintiff concerned to the free democratic basic order within the meaning of the Basic Law.

Art. 12 Abs. 1 GG; §§ 3 Abs. 2, 5 Abs. 1 Satz 1 Nr. 1, 3, 14 Abs. 3 SÜG; § 43 Abs. 2 VwGO

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Berlin
Date of decision
Jan 9, 2023
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Workplace and labour issues
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Sąd Okręgowy we Wrocławiu - 5.01.2023

Case number
IV Ka 1252/22
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Criminal proceedings concerning alleged antisemitic and xenophobic insult on social media. The accused was charged with publicly insulting Jews and Ukrainians through posts containing historically loaded expressions. The appellate court upheld the acquittal, holding that criminal liability under Article 257 requires objectively insulting language combined with direct intent to target a group because of its national or ethnic identity. It found that the contested phrases, though controversial, did not unequivocally meet the strict threshold for criminal insult or incitement to hatred.

Art. 256 § 1, Art. 257 Criminal Code

Art. 7, Art. 410, Art. 438 Code of Criminal Procedure

Name of Court
Sąd Okręgowy we Wrocławiu IV Wydział Karny
Date of decision
Jan 5, 2023
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgerichtshof Baden-Württemberg - 15.12.2022

Case number
6 S 1420/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Unreliability under firearms law (waffenrechtliche Unzuverlässigkeit) - the court upholds the lower court's decision, affirming that openly professing National Socialism consistently demonstrates a militantly aggressive stance against the fundamental principles of the constitution, thereby indicating an unreliability under weapons law.

Art. 4 I GG; §§ 41 Abs. 1 Satz 1 Nr. 2, 5 Abs. 2 Nr. 3a WaffG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgerichtshof Baden-Württemberg
Date of decision
Dec 15, 2022
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Cour d’appel de Paris - 15.12.2022

Case number
n° 21/07902
Country
  • France
Case Description

The case concerns the appeal filed by several anti-racism organizations against the acquittal of Jean-Marie L P (former leader of the Front National) and Jean-François J (the party's director of publication). The defendants were prosecuted for public provocation to discrimination, hatred, or violence based on religion/origin, following a controversial statement made by L P regarding the Jewish artist Patrick Bruel. In a "weblog" interview published on the Front National’s official website on June 6, 2014, Jean-Marie L P discussed artists who had criticized his party. When his interviewer mentioned Patrick Bruel, a French singer of Jewish faith, L P responded: "Listen, we'll make a batch/baking (fournée) next time".The term "fournée" was widely interpreted by civil parties as a reference to the crematoria of the Holocaust. L P admitted to making the statement but argued he used the word in its common sense (meaning a batch of bread) and denied any criminal intent. The Court confirmed that while the statement may have been perceived as hostile, it did not cross the legal threshold of incitement required by the Law of July 29, 1881. Therefore, the defendants committed no civil fault, and the requests for damages and the publication of the judgment were denied.

L'article 24 de la loi du 29 juillet 1881

Name of Court
Cour d’appel de Paris
Date of decision
Dec 15, 2022
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Sąd Rejonowy dla Warszawy-Śródmieścia w Warszawie - 14.12.2022

Case number
VI Ns 346/21
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns an attempt to overturn a post war declaration of death of a woman allegedly killed during wartime and to establish a later date of death based on new evidence, in a context shaped by displacement and persecution during World War II; the court acknowledged that such cases are influenced by the legacy of wartime persecution, including situations affecting Jews where records were destroyed and identities disrupted, but held that where an official foreign death certificate exists, there is no basis to revise the earlier declaration, emphasizing the limits of legal correction despite the historical impact of antisemitic persecution.

Art. 541 § 1, Art. 542, Art. 535, Art. 520 § 1 Code of Civil Procedure

Art. 104, Art. 107, Art. 39 Law on Civil Status Records

Name of Court
Sąd Rejonowy dla Warszawy-Śródmieścia w Warszawie VI Wydział Cywilny
Date of decision
Dec 14, 2022
Subjects
  • Denazification
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Cour d'appel de Paris - 19.11.2020

Case number
n° 19/10956
Country
  • France
Case Description

Incitement, Freedom of Speech (incitation, liberté d'expression) - The convicted person published an article on his website that incited hatred against the Jewish community and insulted them - The appeal confirms the guilt

Art. 23 al. 1, Art. 24 al. 7, Art. 29 al. 2, Art. 33 al. 3 de la loi du 29 juillet 1881; Art. 93-3 de la loi n° 82-652 du 29 juillet 1982; Art. 475-1 du code de procédure pénale

Name of Court
Cour d'appel de Paris (Pôle 2 - Chambre 7)
Date of decision
Nov 19, 2022
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Riley v Sivier - 16.11.2022

Case number
[2022] EWHC 2891 (KB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Dafamation - Rachel Riley sued Mike Sivier over an online publication in which he accused her of publicly bullying a minor user and wrongfully incriminating her by linking her to well-known allegations of antisemitism. The accusation implied that Riley had used antisemitism unfairly or abusively, even though she is a public and vocal opponent of anti-Semitism. The court applied the serious harm test under the Defamation Act 2013 to determine whether this portrayal had seriously damaged her reputation or was likely to do so.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
Nov 16, 2022
Subjects
  • Defamation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Rachel Riley v Mike Sivier - 16.11.2022

Case number
[2022] EWHC 2891 (KB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The subject matter is a defamation lawsuit brought by a television presenter against a political blogger concerning an article about online disputes related to the antisemitism debate within the Labour Party. The core of the case concerns the allegation that the claimant conducted a campaign of harassment against a minor and incited her followers to issue death threats. The court ruled to strike out the defendant’s principal defence submissions on the grounds that they had no realistic prospect of proving the truth of the defamatory statements of fact - Defamation Act 2013 (sections 2, 3, 4), Protection from Harassment Act 1997, Article 10 ECHR.

Name of Court
High Court Of Justice King's Bench Divison Media And Communications List
Date of decision
Nov 16, 2022
Subjects
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Freedom of Speech
  • General right to personality
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Insult
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Oberverwaltungsgericht Bremen - 15.11.2022

Case number
1 D 87/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Association banned (Vereinsverbot) for supporting the association Hizb Allah. The plaintiff provided Hizb Allah, which is classified as an organization that is contrary to international understanding, with a platform in Germany and granted it significant ideological support. Art .9 II GG, § 3 Abs 1 VereinsG

Name of Court
OVG Bremen
Date of decision
Nov 15, 2022
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
  • Constitutional Law
  • International Law
Case
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Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Łodzi - 09.11.2022

Case number
II SA/Łd 453/22
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Monument protection (Ochrona zabytków)- - The applicant argued that the rejection of his application constituted discrimination on the grounds of his Jewish origin and violated the provisions on the protection of religious and cultural symbols - The judgement confirms the rejection of an application to save a synagogue

Art. 61, Art. 66 ust. 1 pkt 3 Prawo budowlane; Art. 26, Art. 126, Art. 126 ust. 1 Gospodarka nieruchomościami; Art. 3 Gwarancje wolności sumienia i wyznania; Art. 1, Art. 2, Art. 50 ust. 3, Art. 150 Ochrona zabytków i opieka nad zabytkami; Art. 1, Art. 2, Art. 3 ust. 2Ochrona dóbr kultury

Name of Court
Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Łodzi - Wydział II
Date of decision
Nov 9, 2022
Subjects
  • Attack on Jewish Places of Worship
  • Discrimination
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Bremen - 09.11.2022

Case number
6 V 1313/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Action against civil servants bitte anklicken. Removal from service (Verbot der Führung von Dienstgeschäften) – Concerns the dissemination of right-wing extremist and racist content by a firefighter, which violates human dignity and trivializes Nazi atrocities.

§ 39 BeamtStG; § 170 Abs. 2 STPO; § 80 Absatz 1 S. 1 VWGO

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Bremen
Date of decision
Nov 9, 2022
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Verwaltungsgericht Hannover - 09.11.2022

Case number
2 A 3031/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Dismissal proceedings (Dienstenthebungsverfahren) - The soldier was dismissed for participating in a WhatsApp group that shared right-wing extremist and racist content, including images glorifying the Nazi regime and Adolf Hitler. The court upheld the dismissal, stating that the soldier had violated his duty to uphold the free democratic order and had significantly endangered the reputation of the Bundeswehr.

Art. 3. Abs 1 GG; §§ 8, 55 SG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Hannover
Date of decision
Nov 9, 2022
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Verwaltungsgericht Hannover - 07.11.2022

Case number
5 A 184/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Incitement to hatred (Volksverhetzung) – The case concerns whether a doctor should lose his license to practice medicine after making several antisemitic and inflammatory public statements, including on his website. The court deemed him unfit to practice medicine due to a conviction for incitement to hatred, stressing that such conduct undermines the trust essential to the profession—even outside patient care. His claims that the remarks were satirical or unrelated to his job were rejected, as he continued to downplay them and spread antisemitic and xenophobic views.

§ 130 StGB, § 3 Abs. 1 Satz 1 Nr. 2 BÄO

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Hannover
Date of decision
Nov 7, 2022
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Workplace and labour issues
Case
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Sąd Okręgowy we Wrocławiu - 28.10.2022

Case number
III K 128/22
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Criminal proceedings concerning a violent hate crime linked to extremist and antisemitic ideology. The accused carried out a public assault motivated by hostility toward perceived ideological symbols, and the court found the act to be hate-driven violence. In assessing liability and sentencing, the court relied heavily on the offender’s prior convictions for antisemitic hate speech, holding that his conduct reflected a progression from antisemitic rhetoric to physical violence. A custodial sentence was imposed, emphasising the serious social danger of hate-motivated extremism.

Art. 119 § 1, Art. 217a, Art. 11 § 2 and § 3, Art. 46 § 1, Art. 53 Criminal Code

Name of Court
Sąd Okręgowy we Wrocławiu III Wydział Karny
Date of decision
Oct 28, 2022
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Pogroms and Violent Attacks on Persons
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Landgericht München II - 18.10.2022

Case number
6 Ns 12 Js 5385/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Incitement to hatred (Volksverhetzung) comparison of protective measures in the COVID-19 pandemic with the Shoah - court upholds the lower court's judgment that had convicted the defendant of incitement

§§ 17, 46 Abs 2 S. 2, 130 Abs. 3 StGB, § 6 Absatz 1 VStGB

Name of Court
Landgericht München II
Date of decision
Oct 18, 2022
Subjects
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Amtsgericht Pirna - 10.10.2022

Case number
212 Ds 378 Js 111/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Incitement to hatred (Volksverhetzung) - Facebook post depicts the antisemitic Jewish star with the label "not vaccinated" ("ungeimpft") - acquittal

§130 Abs 3 StGB

Name of Court
Amtsgericht Pirna
Date of decision
Oct 10, 2022
Subjects
  • Antijudaist Iconography
  • Conspiracy Theories
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Bayrisches Oberstes Landesgericht - 07.10.2022

Case number
202 StRR 90/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Use of unconstitutional symbols (Verwendung von Kennzeichen verfassungswidriger Organisationen) - Posting of a swastika (Hakenkreuz) online - the posting depicted an Israeli soldier with a swastika - court overturns lower court's decision to acquit

§ 86 Abs. 1 Nr. 4 in Verbindung mit § 86a Abs. 1 Nr. 1, Abs. 2 StGB

Name of Court
Bayrisches Oberstes Landesgericht
Date of decision
Oct 7, 2022
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Israel-related incident
  • Prohibition of Symbols, Parties & Associations
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Oberlandesgericht Braunschweig - 05.10.2022

Case number
1 Ss 34/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Ban on the public use of the swastika (postings on social internet platforms) (Verwenden von Kennzeichen verfassungswidriger Organisationen - The defendant posted on her private Facebook profile a modern health pass next to a Nazi health pass, which displayed an unaltered swastika. The defendant did not obviously distance herself from the NSDAP or its ideology in the post itself. The strict prohibition of the swastika prevents the re-establishment of such symbols into the political landscape.

§ 86a I StGB

Name of Court
Oberlandesgericht Braunschweig
Date of decision
Oct 5, 2022
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Prohibition of Symbols, Parties & Associations
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Verwaltungsgericht Köln - 14.09.2022

Case number
23 K 4118/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Dismissal without notice (fristlose Entlassung) of a temporary soldier - the soldier had participated in group chats with racist, antisemitic and right-wing extremist content over a longer period of time - court asseses whether military order or reputation of the Bundeswehr is in jeopardy

§ 55 Abs. 5 SG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Köln (23. Kammer)
Date of decision
Sep 14, 2022
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Sąd Okręgowy w Warszawie - 9.09.2022

Case number
VIII K 206/19
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Criminal proceedings concerning repeated public antisemitic hate speech and incitement to hatred. The accused engaged in a sustained pattern of antisemitic statements online and at public events, publicly insulting Jews and followers of Judaism, inciting hatred, and praising violence. The court held that the conduct constituted criminal hate speech outside the protection of freedom of expression and imposed penalties, emphasising the serious social harm of antisemitism and the need for deterrence.

Art. 216 § 2, Art. 255 § 1, Art. 255 § 3, Art. 256 § 1, Art. 257, Art. 136 § 3, Art. 11 § 2 and § 3, Art. 33 § 1 and § 3, Art. 37a § 1, Art. 85 § 1, Art. 86 § 1 and § 2, Art. 43b Criminal Code

Art. 627 Code of Criminal Procedure

Name of Court
Sąd Okręgowy w Warszawie VIII Wydział Karny
Date of decision
Sep 9, 2022
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Arbeitsgericht Berlin - 05.09.2022

Case number
22 Ca 1647/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Extraordinary dismissal of a journalist (außerordentliche Kündigung) - a journalist was dismissed from a public broadcasting service due to allegations of antisemitism - the requirement that the statements were made at a time when an employment relationship existed was not fulfilled - court goes into details on definitions of antisemitism and Israel-related antisemitism in particular

§ 626 Abs. 1, 2 BGB

Name of Court
Arbeitsgericht Berlin
Date of decision
Sep 5, 2022
Subjects
  • Israel-related Incidents
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Landgericht Aachen - 10.08.2022

Case number
60 Qs 16/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

The defendant uploaded an image to a Facebook group showing a Jewish Star with the word ''Jew'' replaced by ''unvaccinated'', accompanied by the text ''The new Jewish Star''. The court denied a penal order for incitement to hatred (Volksverhetzung), specifically for trivialization. The use of the "Judenstern" could be interpreted as merely denouncing the disadvantages faced by unvaccinated individuals compared to vaccinated ones, without specifically referring to the Shoah, rather, it acknowledges the crimes against Jews and uses the cruelty of the Nazi regime.

§ 86a I StGB

Name of Court
Landgericht Aachen
Date of decision
Aug 10, 2022
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

REGINA v PIERS PORTMAN- 29.07.2022

Case number
[2022] EWCA Crim 1200
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The case concerned a renewed application for leave to appeal against conviction for intentionally causing racially aggravated harassment, alarm or distress. The antisemitism-related core lay in an incident outside a magistrates’ court in which the applicant was found to have directed the words “Jewish scum” at a representative of an organisation combating antisemitism, following the sentencing of a defendant previously convicted of antisemitic offences. On appeal, the applicant argued procedural unfairness, including refusal of an adjournment due to absent witnesses, rejection of bad character evidence concerning the complainant, alleged abuse of process, and inappropriate judicial questioning. The Court of Appeal rejected all grounds, holding that the trial judge had properly exercised discretion, that the proposed bad character evidence lacked substantial probative value under s. 100 Criminal Justice Act 2003, and that the conviction was safe; leave to appeal was refused. Crime and Disorder Act 1998, s. 31(1)(b); Criminal Justice Act 2003, s. 100.

Name of Court
Court of Appeal Criminal Divison
Date of decision
Jul 29, 2022
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Oberlandesgericht Frankfurt am Main - 15.07.2022

Case number
5 - 2 StE 18/17 - 5a - 1/17
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Preparation of a serious act of violence endangering the state, embezzlement, fraud, violations of the Weapons and Explosives Act (Antrag auf Revision, Vorbereitung einer schweren staatsgefährdenden Gewalttat, Unterschlagung, Bertug, Verstöße gegen das Waffen- und Sprengstoffgesetz) - For years, the defendant had antisemitic, racist and anti-democratic views. Based on conspiracy theories, he was convinced that "Zionism" was waging a systematic race war in which millions of migrants were being brought to Germany. This would ultimately lead to the "extinction of the German race". High-ranking politicians and public figures with a pro-refugee attitude were particularly responsible for the supposed "decomposition of the German nation", which is why he planned to carry out an attempt on the life of one of those responsible.

§§ 89a Abs. 1, Abs. 2 Nr. 2, 246 Abs. 1, 263 Abs. 1 StGB; §§ 1 Abs. 1, 22a Abs. 1 Nr. 6 lit. a), Nr. 50 der Anlage zu § 1 Abs. 1 KrWaffG; §§ 1 Abs. 1, Abs. 2, Abs. 3, Abs. 4; 2 Abs. 2, 52 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 lit. b), Abs. 3 Nr. 2 lit. a) und b), Anlage 1 Abschnitt 1 Unterabschnitt 1 Nrn. 1.1, 2.2, 2.5 Unterabschnitt 3 Nr. 1.1, 1.2 und 1.4, Anlage 2 Abschnitt 2 Unterabschnitt 1 Satz 1 WaffG; § 52 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 lit. d) WaffG in der bis zum 5. Juli 2017 geltenden Fassung; §§ 1 Abs. 2 Nr. 2, 3 Abs. 1 Nr. 3, 27 Abs. 1, 40 Abs. 1 Nr. 3 SprengG in der bis zum 30. Juni 2017 geltenden Fassung, §§ 52, 53 StGB.

Name of Court
Oberlandesgericht Frankfurt am Main
Date of decision
Jul 15, 2022
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Conspiracy Theories
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Regina v Nicholas Nelson - 15.07.2022

Case number
[2022] EWCA Crim 1080
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The case concerned a reference by the Attorney General on the ground that the original sentences imposed for multiple offences of racially and antisemitically aggravated harassment and malicious electronic communications were unduly lenient. The antisemitism-related core lay in a prolonged campaign of extreme abuse, including Holocaust-related and implicitly violent messages, directed at Jewish individuals, including public figures, and committed despite previous suspended sentences for similar conduct. The Court held that suspending the custodial terms had been unduly lenient, quashed the suspended sentences, and imposed an immediate aggregate term of 18 months’ imprisonment; earlier suspended sentences were activated and ordered to run concurrently. Malicious Communications Act 1988, s. 1(1)(a), (b); Crime and Disorder Act 1998, s. 32(1)(a); Criminal Justice Act 1988, s. 36.

Name of Court
Court of Appeal of England and Wales
Date of decision
Jul 15, 2022
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Regina v Nicholas Nelson – 31.08.2022

Case number
[2022] EWCA Crim 1080
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Hate Speech, Holocaust trivialisation – Antisemitic harassment of a Jewish blogger – defendant had been previously sentenced for similar offences

Name of Court
Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)
Date of decision
Jul 15, 2022
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Bayerisches Oberstes Landesgericht - 14.07.2022

Case number
206 StRR 27/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Displaying a flag with the image of Abdullah Öcalan at a public meeting may be punishable as using the emblem of a banned organization - the PKK (vereinsrechtliches Kennzeichenverbot).

§ 9 § 20 Abs 1 S. 1 Nr.5 VereinsG

Name of Court
Bayerisches Oberstes Landesgericht (6. Strafsenat)
Date of decision
Jul 14, 2022
Subjects
  • Prohibition of Symbols, Parties & Associations
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

R (CAGE) v Secretary of State for Education - 07.07.2022

Case number
[2022] EWHC 2373 (Admin)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Discrimination - the organisation CAGE sought judicial review of a letter from the Secretary of State for Education to schools regarding antisemitic incidents. The High Court of Justice dismissed the application, finding that the letter referred to existing duties of political balance and protection against discrimination and did not constitute indirect discrimination.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
Jul 7, 2022
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Israel-related incident
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Amtsgericht München - 06.07.2022

Case number
815 Cs 112 Js 213900/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Incitement to hatred (Volksverhetzung) - Posting antisemitic, right-wing extremist stickers in widespread group chats.

§ 130 Abs 2,3,5 StGB

Name of Court
Amtsgericht München
Date of decision
Jul 6, 2022
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Prohibition of Symbols, Parties & Associations
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Landesarbeitsgericht Hessen - 30.06.2022

Case number
5 TaBV 158/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Disciplinary warning letter (Abmahnung) due to alleged antisemitic remarks in the workplace - the employee rejects the allegations - the situation is to be clarified by the establishment of a conciliation committee (Einrichtung einer Einigungsstelle) - concerns the involvement of the labour representative (Betriebsrat) in the proceedings

§ 100 Abs. 1 ArbGG; § 85 Abs. 2 S. 3 BetrVG

Name of Court
Landesarbeitsgericht Hessen
Date of decision
Jun 30, 2022
Subjects
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Verwaltungsgericht Gera - 28.06.2022

Case number
6 K 777/19
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Compensation for the expropriation of Jewish shareholders (Entschädigung) -The Jewish department store “R...” in E... was forcibly sold in 1937 due to antisemitic boycotts and state pressure. The NSDAP-affiliated buyer had previously taken part in the “Aryanization” of Jewish businesses. Although the purchase price was about 21% below market value, the court deemed the real abuse to lie in the dismissal of Jewish staff without legal basis and the fact that only 40% of the payment reached the sellers. The conduct was ruled a serious abuse of position and a ruthless exploitation of the sellers' situation.

§ 1 Abs 4 AusglLeistG; §§ 54 Abs. 1, 57 Abs. 1, 57 Abs. 2 Satz 1 BewG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Gera
Date of decision
Jun 28, 2022
Subjects
  • Compensation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Landesarbeitsgericht Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - 21.06.2022

Case number
5 Sa 256/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Extraordinary dismissal (außerordentliche Kündigung) of a primary school teacher - court is doubting the claimant's commitment to the free democratic basic order (freiheitlich demokratische Grundordnung) - he had disseminated content that questioned the existence of the Holocaust - connection to the Nordkreuz-complex

§626 I BGB, § 3 I 2 TV-L

Name of Court
Landesarbeitsgericht Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Date of decision
Jun 21, 2022
Subjects
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Bundesgerichtshof - 14.06.2022

Case number
VI ZR 172/20
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

General Right to Personality (Allgemeines Persönlichkeitsrecht) - Display of antijudaist iconography at the church of Wittenberge - demand to remove insulting iconography because of an infringement on the Jewish claimants' rights - court find that a violation of rights is non existent at present (Fehlen einer gegenwärtigen Rechtsverletzung)

§ 823 BGB i.V.m. Art. 2 Abs. 1, Art. 1 Abs. 1 GG, §1004 Abs. 1 Satz 1 BGB

Name of Court
Bundesgerichtshof 6. Zivilsenat
Date of decision
Jun 14, 2022
Subjects
  • Antijudaist Iconography
  • General right to personality
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Regina v Nicholas Azam Lalchan – 27.05.2022

Case number
[2022] EWCA Crim 736
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Antisemitic Daubings, procedural matters – man was convicted of possessing racially inflammatory material and authoring antisemitic as well as homophobic graffiti at bus stops in London – decision concerns the failure to obtain the consent of the Attorney General before initiating the proceedings – appeal is allowed

Section 27(1) Public Order Act 1986

Name of Court
Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)
Date of decision
May 27, 2022
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf - 27.05.2022

Case number
6 StS 2/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Incitement to hatred, formation of and participation in a criminal organisation (Volksverhetzung, Gründung und Beteiligung in einer kriminellen vereinigung) - the plaintiff was part of the antisemitic Goyim movement and distributed antisemitic content.

§ 25 II, 129, 130 StGB

Name of Court
Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf (6. Strafsenat)
Date of decision
May 27, 2022
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Bundesverwaltungsgericht - 12.05.2022

Case number
2 WD 10/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Soldier is removed from employment (Entlassung) - Behavior of a soldier that gives the impression of a high level of identification with the so-called Reich-Citizen's Movement (Reichsbürger) and thus of an anti-constitutional attitude - removal from service - judgment of 18 February 2021 overturned

§§ 17 Abs. 3 S. 2, 38 Abs. 1, 58; Abs. 2 Nr. 5, 63 Abs. 1, 84 Abs. 2, 91 Abs. 1 WDO; §§ 249 Abs. 1 S. 1, Abs. 2 S. 1 StPO; §§ 8, § 23 Abs. 1 SG

Name of Court
Bundesverwaltungsgericht
Date of decision
May 12, 2022
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Conspiracy Theories
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Cour d'appel de Paris - 12.05.2022

Case number
21/02860 UEJF et a. c/ E. Zemmour
Country
  • France
Case Description

Holocaust denial (Contestation de crimes contre l’humanité) – The Court of Appeal acquitted a French politician, prosecuted for stating that “Pétain saved the French Jews,” holding that his remarks, while offensive to deportees’ families, did not amount to Holocaust denial or minimization of extermination policies, since they did not question the number of victims or the reality of Nazi crimes. It also stressed that Pétain himself had not been convicted of crimes against humanity, but only of collaboration with the enemy.

Art. 24 bis Loi du 29 juillet 1881 sur la liberté de la presse.

Name of Court
Cour d'appel de Paris
Date of decision
May 12, 2022
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Warszawie - 9.05.2022

Case number
II SA/Wa 4079/21
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Refusal to grant a special pension by the Prime Minister in proceedings invoking alleged antisemitic and political persecution. The applicant claimed entitlement to a discretionary benefit based on purported exceptional merits, including a self-described lifelong fight against antisemitism and related forms of discrimination. The Prime Minister and the administrative court rejected the application, holding that allegations of antisemitism and persecution, unsupported by objective and verifiable evidence of exceptional public merit, do not satisfy the statutory criteria for a special pension.

Art. 82 § 1 Act of 17 December 1998 on Pensions and Disability Benefits from the Social Insurance Fund

Art. 151 Act of 30 August 2002 – Law on Proceedings before Administrative Courts

Art. 107 § 3, Art. 80 Code of Administrative Procedure

Name of Court
Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Warszawie
Date of decision
May 9, 2022
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Greifswald - 05.05.2022

Case number
11 A 1449/21 HGW
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Removal of a police officer from the civil service (Entfernung aus Beamtenverhältnis)- court finds a lack of loyalty to the constitution (fehlende Verfassungstreue) due to posting several racist and antisemitic messages, also trivialising the holocaust

§ 33 Abs. 1 S. 3, Abs. 5BeamtStG, §§ 15 Abs. 2 S. 1, 55 Abs. 1, Abs. 3 LDG M-V

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Greifswald
Date of decision
May 5, 2022
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Schwerin - 05.05.2022

Case number
3 A 209/18 SN
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Lack of reliability under firearms law (Waffenrechtliche Unzuverlässigkeit) - Even after leaving the right-wing extremist party NPD in 2015, the plaintiff is still considered unreliable under weapons law because he continues to be involved in right-wing extremist structures, in some cases in prominent positions.

§ 5, 41 WaffG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Schwerin
Date of decision
May 5, 2022
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Bundesgerichtshof - 06.04.2022

Case number
AK 11/22
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Founding of a terrorist organization (Gründung einer terroristischen Vereinigung), a subgroup of the so called Atomwaffen Division - the group propagates "white supremacy" and is calling for the murder and expulsion of migrants, Black persons and Jews - concerns the extension of pretrial detention

§22,23, 52, 89a, 89a Abs 1, 2 Nr 2, 3, 129a Abs 1 Nr 1 StGB

Name of Court
Bundesgerichtshof (3. Strafsenat)
Date of decision
Apr 6, 2022
Subjects
  • Pogroms and Violent Attacks on Persons
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Cour de cassation - 31.03.2022

Case number
Pourvoi n° S 20-22.152 (Arrêt n° 362 F-D)
Country
  • France
Case Description

Incitement (Incitation) - In 2013, Alain S. and his publishing house were ordered to remove 15 pages from a new edition of a book because they constituted incitement to hatred - They did not comply with this order and explicitly advertised the book online as “uncensored” - LICRA then filed a motion for the imposition of a coercive fine - After the case had gone through the courts, the Cour de Cassation confirmed the violation of the court order and thus the sentence to pay the penalty payment

Name of Court
Cour de cassation, deuxième chambre civile
Date of decision
Mar 31, 2022
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Civi Law
Case
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Wilson v Mendelsohn & Ors

Case number
[2022] EWHC 715 (QB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Defamation - The plaintiff filed a defamation suit over comments made on Facebook and Twitter in which he was referred to as a ‘weirdo’ and a ‘freak,’ among other things. The dispute arose in a Twitter thread that later included debates about anti-Semitism and in which the plaintiff was accused of anti-Semitic stereotypes.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
Mar 30, 2022
Subjects
  • Defamation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Sąd Rejonowy w Toruniu - 28.03.2022

Case number
IV P 328/21
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns dismissal from employment where the employee claimed it was unjustified, while the employer relied on his conduct at work; the court upheld the termination, finding that although he performed his duties properly, he repeatedly expressed offensive and antisemitic views portraying Jews negatively, which disrupted workplace relations, and held that such conduct exceeded acceptable limits of expression in employment and justified dismissal, rejecting the compensation claim.

Art. 30 § 4, Art. 45 § 1, Art. 207 § 2, Art. 300 Labour Code

Art. 415, Art. 448, Art. 471 Civil Code

Art. 102 Code of Civil Procedure

Name of Court
Sąd Rejonowy w Toruniu IV Wydział Pracy i Ubezpieczeń Społecznych
Date of decision
Mar 28, 2022
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Bundesgerichtshof - 22.03.2022

Case number
3 StR 270/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Attempted murder and murder, (attempted) aggravated robbery, negligent bodily harm, endangering traffic (versuchter Mord und Mord, räubersiche Erpressung, gefährliche Körperverletzung, Gefährdung des Straßenverkehrs) - Attempted armed attack on the synagogue in Halle - the perpetrator primarily intended to target Jews as "the root of all evil" with his attack - the court orders indeterminate preventive detention for the defendant (Sicherheitsverwahrung) - the supreme court affirms the lower court's decision, the appeal by two co-plaintiffs is rejected

§§ 211, 212, 223, 224, 250, 253 StGB

Name of Court
Bundesgerichtshof (3. Strafsenat)
Date of decision
Mar 22, 2022
Subjects
  • Murder and Manslaughter
  • Pogroms and Violent Attacks on Persons
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Bundessozialgericht - 16.03.2022

Case number
B 6 KA 34/21 B
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Revocation of a statutory dental care licence (Entziehung einer Lizenz zur vertragszahnärztlichen Versorgung) - a Jewish dentist repeatedly clashes with his Association of Statutory Health Dentists and accuses them of antisemitism and racism - the association revokes the dentist's license to provide statutory health dental care against which he takes legal action - rejection of the complaint against the non-admission of the appeal.

SGG § 73a Abs. 1 S. 1; ZPO § 114 ; SGG § 160 Abs. 2 Nr. 1

Name of Court
Bundessozialgericht
Date of decision
Mar 16, 2022
Subjects
  • Refusal to License a Business
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Oberlandesgericht Koblenz - 16.03.2022

Case number
6 U 195/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Free speech (Meinungsfreiheit), Damages (Schadensersatz) for allegations of antisemitism - concerns a writer on Wikipedia who has contributed to texts about the Arab-Israeli conflict, German Jews and politicians - the writer has described many persons and also the claimant as antizionist and antiamerican - the court rejects the complaint that alleged that the prior proceedings violated the right to a hearing in court (Anhörungsrüge)

§ ZPO § 321a Abs. ZPO § 321A Absatz 2 ZPO

Name of Court
Oberlandesgericht Koblenz
Date of decision
Mar 16, 2022
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Sąd Okręgowy w Sieradzu - 14.02.2022

Case number
I Ca 624/21
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Acquisitive prescription of property formerly owned by a Jewish family in a context where antisemitism was invoked to suspend limitation periods. The heir of a former Jewish owner argued that post-war antisemitism, communist political conditions, and forced emigration to Israel prevented the pursuit of property rights. The courts rejected these arguments, holding that general claims of antisemitism and political hostility, without individualized proof of objective impossibility to assert claims, do not suspend prescription and that Jewish owners were not legally barred from pursuing property claims in Poland during the relevant period.

Art. 172, Art. 175, Art. 121 point 4 Civil Code

Art. XLI § 2 Introductory Provisions to the Civil Code

Art. 520 § 1 Code of Civil Procedure

Name of Court
Sąd Okręgowy w Sieradzu I Wydział Cywilny
Date of decision
Feb 14, 2022
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Restitution
  • Withdrawal of Citizenship
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Oberlandesgericht Koblenz - 31.01.2022

Case number
6 U 195/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Free speech (Meinungsfreiheit), Damages (Schadensersatz) for allegations of antisemitismus - concerns a writer on Wikipedia who has contributed to texts about the Arab-Israeli conflict, German Jews and politicians - the writer has described many persons and also the claimant as antizionist and antiamerican - appeal by the writer who claims the general right to personality is not affected severely enough

§ 823 BGB, Art. 1 Abs. 1, 2 Abs. 1 GG

Name of Court
Oberlandesgericht Koblenz
Date of decision
Jan 31, 2022
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Oberverwaltungsgericht Münster - 27.01.2022

Case number
1 B 1756/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Dismissal without notice (fristlose Entlassung) of a temporary soldier - the soldier had participated in at least two group chats with racist, antisemitic and right-wing extremist content over a longer period of time - assessment of whether military order or the reputation of the Bundeswehr are in jeopardy

§ 80 Abs. 5 VwGO, §§ 55 Abs. 5, 47 Abs. 2, 24 Abs. 1 Nr. 6 SG

Name of Court
Oberverwaltungsgericht Münster (1. Senat)
Date of decision
Jan 27, 2022
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Schwerin - 19.01.2022

Case number
3 B 1182/21 SN
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Unreliability under firearms law (waffenrechtliche Unzuverlässigkeit) – court finds that images and posts in chat groups glorifying violence, racism, antisemitism and National Socialism can lead to the conclusion that a person is unreliable under firearms law - context of the Nazi network Nordkreuz

§ 80 VwGO, §§ 4ff, 10, 41 Abs 2, 45 Abs 5 WaffG (2002)

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Schwerin
Date of decision
Jan 19, 2022
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Cour de cassation chambre criminelle - 18.01.2022

Case number
n° 21-80.611
Country
  • France
Case Description

The defendant, M. [V] [Z] (referred to in the context as Dieudonné), was prosecuted for public racial insult and provocation to racial hatred following a post on Twitter and his website, "Egalité et Réconciliation." The post featured a photograph of him performing the "quenelle" gesture (often interpreted as an inverted Nazi salute) in front of the Colmar courthouse. The Court of Cassation partially quashed the appeal judgment, specifically declaring the civil claim of the Consistoire Israélite du Haut-Rhin inadmissible. All other provisions, including the criminal conviction and the damages awarded to LICRA and Association, were upheld. The defendant was ordered to pay 2,500 euros each to LICRA and Association for their legal costs.

l'article 48-1 de la loi du 29 juillet 1881

Name of Court
Cour de cassation
Date of decision
Jan 18, 2022
Subjects
  • Compensation
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Sąd Najwyższy - 17.01.2022

Case number
III KK 460/21
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Cassation proceedings concerning a murder conviction in which antisemitic language was used by the accused during the incident. The defence argued that the expression “Żydy” reflected the situation rather than hostility. The Supreme Court dismissed the cassation, holding that the antisemitic language was not legally decisive and did not affect the assessment of intent or the rejection of self-defence, which remained the central issues of the case.

Art. 148 § 1, Art. 25 § 1 Criminal Code

Art. 7, Art. 410, Art. 433 § 2, Art. 457 § 3, Art. 535 § 3 Code of Criminal Procedure

Name of Court
Sąd Najwyższy - Izba Karna
Date of decision
Jan 17, 2022
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Murder and Manslaughter
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Hamburg - 13.01.2022

Case number
5 K 6549/16
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Denial of naturalization application (Ablehnung des Einbürgerungsantrags) – The court found that the applicant supported Hizb ut-Tahrir (HuT), a group banned in Germany for opposing the democratic order. Evidence included attending HuT events and social media activity, such as retweeting and liking content from related groups. The ruling emphasized that even passive actions can support anti-democratic efforts, and the applicant failed to show credible distancing from these ideologies.

§ 11 S.1 Nr 1 STAG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Hamburg
Date of decision
Jan 13, 2022
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Bundesverwaltungsgericht - 13.01.2022

Case number
2 WD 4.21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Disciplinary proceedings against a lieutenant concerning WhatsApp messages containing antisemitic statements (antisemitische Beleidigung) – The court ruled that offensive remarks in private group chats constitute a service offense only if they have an impact within the military context. Private messages exchanged within a trusted circle are protected by freedom of expression. The case also addressed procedural issues regarding judicial impartiality and examined the soldier’s disciplinary record.

GG Art. 1 Abs. 1, Art. 2 Abs. 1, Art. 5 Abs. 1 Satz 1, Art. 21 Abs. 2, Art. 101 Abs. 1 Satz 2 SG §§ 1 Abs. 3 Satz 1 und 2, 6 Satz 1, 8 Alt. 1 und 2, 10 Abs. 1 und 6, 17 Abs. 2 Satz 3, 22 Satz 1, 23 Abs. 1 StGB §§ 130, 185 StPO § 170 Abs. 2 VorgV § 4 Abs. 1 Nr. 2, Abs. 3 WBO § 17 WDO 2002 §§ 17 Abs. 2 und 5, 22, 38 Abs. 1, 58 Abs. 1 Nr. 1, Abs. 5 und 7, 77 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 Buchst. c, 82 Abs. 2 Satz 4, 108 Abs. 3 Satz 1, 121 Abs. 2, 123 Abs. 1 Satz 3, 126 Abs. 5 Satz 3, 138 Abs. 3, 139 Abs. 3, 140 Abs. 1

Name of Court
Bundesverwaltungsgericht
Date of decision
Jan 13, 2022
Subjects
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Amtsgericht Frankfurt am Main - 06.01.2022

Case number
907 Ds 6111 Js 250180/19
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Dissemination within the meaning of 130 Abs. 2 (Volksverhetzung) - exists if the substance of a writing is made accessible to a larger group of people. Specifically, the case concerned the content of a WhatsApp status in which a video could be seen that fulfilled the characteristics of incitement to hatred in relation to members of the Jewish faith (Kennzeichen verfassungwidriger Organisationen).

§ 11 Abs 3 a.F., § 17 S 1, § 74 Abs 1, § 86 Abs 1 Nr 4, Abs 3 a.F, § 86a Abs 1 Nr 1, Abs 2 aF, §130 Abs 1 Nr 1, Abs 2 Nr 1a aF StGB

Name of Court
Amtsgericht Frankfurt am Main (Abteilung 907)
Date of decision
Jan 6, 2022
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Prohibition of Symbols, Parties & Associations
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Sąd Apelacyjny w Warszawie - 03.01.2022

Case number
I ACa 354/21
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Compensation for the violation of personal interests (Zadośćuczynienie za naruszenie dobra osobistego) - Dispute between a museum and a person who allegedly spread false information about the museum - The allegations related to the museum deceiving its visitors and belittling the memory of Polish victims of a German concentration camp - The District Court initially dismissed the claim, as the defendant's statements were covered by freedom of expression - The museum's appeal was partially accepted as the court found that some of the defendant's statements damaged the museum's reputation and had antisemitic undertones - The court emphasised that freedom of expression has limits and hate speech against certain groups is not acceptable in public debate

Art. 448 Kodeks cywilny

Name of Court
Sąd Apelacyjny w Warszawie - i Wydział Cywilny
Date of decision
Jan 3, 2022
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Riley v Murray -20.12.2021

Case number
[2021] EWHC 3437 (QB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Defamation - In Riley v Murray, the defendant was found liable for a tweet that falsely attributed an endorsement of violence to the plaintiff. The High Court classified the statement as a defamatory statement of fact and rejected the defences of truth, honest opinion and public interest. The tweet was published against the background of wider public debates, including discussions on antisemitism in the Labour Party in which the plaintiff was publicly involved, but the court’s assessment focused on the defamatory meaning of the statement and the resulting serious harm to reputation within the meaning of the Defamation Act 2013.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
Dec 10, 2021
Subjects
  • Defamation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Oberlandesgericht Dresden - 10.12.2021

Case number
4 W 876/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Appeal against decision (Beschwerde gegen Beschluss) - The court ruled that the “right to counter-attack” in response to defamatory remarks does not cover criminal insults or coercion. A defendant who posted an aggressive comment on a council member’s Facebook page was held liable, underscoring the limits of free speech when it crosses into criminal behavior.

ZPO § 91a Abs. 2 S. 1, § 567 Abs. 1; BGB § 823 Abs. 1, Abs. 2, § 1004; StGB § 185, § 240; GG Art. 5

Name of Court
Oberlandesgericht Dresden
Date of decision
Dec 10, 2021
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Freiburg - 08.12.2021

Case number
3 K 2539/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Dismissal from police training (Entlassung aus Hochschule für Polizei) - Application for suspensive effect of dismissal (Antrag auf aufschiebende Wirkung der Entlassung) - the officer in training aims to return to police school after he was dismissed because of doubts about his character suitability - largely passive membership in an internal police WhatsApp group in which antisemitic, racist, violence-trivializing and glorifying as well as misogynistic comments and pictures are shared

§ 80 V VwGO

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Freiburg
Date of decision
Dec 8, 2021
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Köln - 26.11.2021

Case number
35 K 2758/21.T
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Application for the opening of professional court proceedings (Antrag auf Eröffnung eines berufsgerichtichen Verfahrens) - the chamber of medical professionals (Ärztekammer) Nordrhein claims a violation of the duty to practice the medical profession took place - a doctor had published a highly antisemitic, holocaust distorting book - the opening of proceedings is denied

§ 29 Abs. 1 HeilBerG i.V.m. § 2 Abs. 2 Berufsordnung für die nordrheinischen Ärztinnen und Ärzte

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Köln
Date of decision
Nov 26, 2021
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Oberverwaltungsgericht Nordreihn-Westfalen - 24.11.2021

Case number
1 B 1637/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Dismissal from service (Amtsenthebung) – The applicant was dismissed for requesting a film that glorifies the Nazi regime and disparages Holocaust victims. The court temporarily suspended the dismissal, stating that further investigation into the applicant’s behavior after receiving the film is necessary. – The respondent's appeal is dismissed.

Art. 12 GG; §§ 2, 37 Abs. 2 Satz 1 BBG; § 80 Abs. 5 S. 1 VwGO; § 146 Abs. 4 Satz 6 VwGO

Name of Court
Oberverwaltungsgericht Nordreihn-Westfalen
Date of decision
Nov 24, 2021
Subjects
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Bundesverfassungsgericht - 11.11.2021

Case number
1 BvR 11/20
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Free speech and general right to personality (Meinungsäußerungsfreiheit und Allgemeines Persönlichkeitsrecht) - question whether singer can be called an antisemite

Art. 5 Abs. 1 Satz 1 GG, Art. 2 Abs. 1 GG, § 1004 Abs. 1 und § 823 Abs. 2 BGB iVm § 186 StGB, § 193 StGB

Name of Court
Bundesverfassungsgericht
Date of decision
Nov 11, 2021
Subjects
  • Artistic Freedom
  • Freedom of Speech
  • General right to personality
Type of Court
  • Constitutional Court
Area of Law
  • Constitutional Law
Case
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Bundesverwaltungsgericht - 03.11.2021

Case number
2 B 39.21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Confirms the legality of removal from public service (Entfernung aus dem öffentlichen Dienst).

§§ 61 Abs. 1 S. 1, S. 3, 77 Abs. 1 BBG; §§ 5 Abs. 1 Nr. 5, 10, 13 Abs. 1, Abs. 2, 22 Abs. 3, 60 Abs. 2 S. 2 Nr. 1 BDG; § 130 StGB

Name of Court
Bundesverwaltungsgericht
Date of decision
Nov 3, 2021
Subjects
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Warszawie - 27.10.2021

Case number
VII SA/Wa 1350/21
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns a planned construction project on land allegedly overlapping with a former Jewish cemetery, where authorities refused approval on the basis of protecting Jewish heritage and memory; the court acknowledged the importance of safeguarding sites connected to Jewish communities, especially in light of their historical destruction, but held that such protection must be grounded in clear and verifiable evidence, and annulled the decisions because the authorities failed to prove that the specific plot actually constituted a protected cemetery area despite invoking its Jewish historical significance.

Art. 7, Art. 77 §1, Art. 80, Art. 107 §3 Code of Administrative Procedure

Art. 60(1), Art. 53(4)(2) Act on Spatial Planning and Development

Name of Court
Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Warszawie
Date of decision
Oct 27, 2021
Subjects
  • Attack on Jewish Places of Worship
  • Cemetery Desecration
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Keable v London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham - 26.10.2021

Case number
EA-2019-000733-DA
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The Employment Appeal Tribunal dismissed the employer’s appeal, confirming that Mr Keable’s dismissal was procedurally and substantively unfair because the employer failed to clearly explain how his comments were interpreted and why they justified dismissal. Reinstatement was held to be practicable, as no complete breakdown of trust and confidence was proven. The case emphasises procedural fairness and proportionality in relation to lawful political speech expressed outside the workplace.

Name of Court
Employment Appeal Tribunal
Date of decision
Oct 26, 2021
Subjects
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Special Court
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham v Keable – 26.10.2021

Case number
EA-2019-000733-DA (previously UKEAT/0333/19/DA)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Unfair Dismissal – claimant was dismissed by local authority – claimant had participated in a rallye outside parliament and was filmed alleging a collaboration of the Zionist movement with the German nationalsocialist regime – the film clip was shared widely online and the claimant was identified as a worker for the local council – the claimant was suspended from his job – a judge found the dismissal to be unfair - appeal against first instance decision - context of debates around antisemitism in the Labour Party – Equality Act 2010, Human Rights Act, s 94 Employment Rights Act 1996

Name of Court
Employment Appeal Tribunal
Date of decision
Oct 26, 2021
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Discrimination
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
  • Israel-related Incidents
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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R v Nugent – 22.10.2021

Case number
[2021] EWCA Crim 1535
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Inciting violence - man pleads guilty to distributing of Nazi, anti-muslim, anti-semitic and violence inciting terrorist publications – appeal concerns the sentencing which was deemed too lenient by the solicitor general – s 2(1) Terrorism Act 2006, s 58(1)(b) Terrorism Act 2000, s 36 Criminal Justice Act 1988

Name of Court
Court of Appeal (Criminal Divisioin)
Date of decision
Oct 22, 2021
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Pogroms and Violent Attacks on Persons
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Arbeitsgericht Fulda - 20.10.2021

Case number
1 BV 8/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Disciplinary warning letter (Abmahnung) due to alleged antisemitic remarks in the workplace - the employee rejects the allegations - the situation is to be clarified by the establishment of a conciliation committee (Einrichtung einer Einigungsstelle) - the proceedings concern the question of who may lead the committee - the court decides that a judge at a labour court is going to lead the committee

BetrVG § 85 Abs. 2 S.1, § 76 Abs. 2 S. 2

Name of Court
Arbeitsgericht Fulda (1. Kammer)
Date of decision
Oct 20, 2021
Subjects
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Köln - 19.10.2021

Case number
23 L 1476/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Dismissal without notice (fristlose Entlassung) of a temporary soldier - the soldier had participated in at least two group chats with racist, antisemitic and right-wing extremist content over a longer period of time - court assesses whether conduct violates military order or the reputation of the Bundeswehr

§§ 55, 47, 24, 8, 17

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Köln
Date of decision
Oct 19, 2021
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Magdeburg (15. Kammer) - 19.10.2021

Case number
15 A 5/21 MD
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Pension Revocation (Aberkennung des Ruhegehalts) due to candidacy for the NPD - court asses his loyalty to the constitution and duties (Verfassungstreue und Wohlverhaltenspflicht) - disciplinary action is considered admissible and substantiated

§§ 60 Abs. 1 Satz 3, 77 Abs. 1, 61 Abs. 1 Satz 3 BBG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Magdeburg (15. Kammer)
Date of decision
Oct 19, 2021
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Verwaltungsgericht Schleswig (6. Kammer) - 14.10.2021

Case number
6 B 50/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Application for injunction relief regarding antisemitic statements (Antrag auf Unterlassung) - the applicant claims that her general right of personality (Allgemeines Persönlichkeitsrecht) has been violated by antisemitic statements that had been reported by the local newspaper - she had blamed Jews for the covid pandemic - the application is admissible, but is rejected as materially unfounded

Art. 1 Abs. 1, Art. 2 Abs. 1 GG; § 123 Abs. 1 S. 1 VwGO

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Schleswig (6. Kammer)
Date of decision
Oct 14, 2021
Subjects
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Discrimination
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
  • Constitutional Law
Case
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Landessozialgericht Rheinland-Pfalz - 07.10.2021

Case number
L 5 KA 17/20
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Revocation of a statutory dental care licence (Entziehung einer Lizenz zur vertragszahnärztlichen Versorgung) - a Jewish dentist repeatedly clashes with his Association of Statutory Health Dentists and accuses them of antisemitism and racism - the association revokes the dentist's license to provide statutory health dental care against which he takes legal action - dismissal of the appeal.

SGG § 54 Abs. 1, Abs. 4, § 140

Name of Court
Landessozialgericht Rheinland-Pfalz (5. Senat)
Date of decision
Oct 7, 2021
Subjects
  • Refusal to License a Business
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Berlin - 07.10.2021

Case number
VG 2 K 79/20
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Action against the decision of the German Bundestag on BDS (Klage gegen Beschluss des Deutschen Bundestages zu BDS) - The plaintiffs are supporters of the so-called "Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions" campaign - in 2019 the German Bundestag had decided to adopt the non-legally binding motion to counter the BDS movement - the plaintiffs allege interference with a number of basic rights - the court determines that the issue is a question of administrative law and that the Bundestag decision is not violating German Basic Law

§§ 40, 43 VwGO; Art 2 Abs 1, 5, 8, 9,20 GG; Art 10,11 EMRK

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Berlin (2. Kammer)
Date of decision
Oct 7, 2021
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Israel-related Incidents
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Arbeitsgericht Schwerin - 06.10.2021

Case number
1 Ca 277/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Extraordinary dismissal (außerordentliche Kündigung) of a primary school teacher - he is alleged to be a member of the Nazi movement Nordkreuz - antisemitic attitudes are not detailed at the first instance level

§ 102 BetrVG, § 626 Abs. 2 BGB

Name of Court
Arbeitsgericht Schwerin (1. Kammer)
Date of decision
Oct 6, 2021
Subjects
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Köln - 06.10.2021

Case number
15 L 1549/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Dismissal from service (Amtsenthebung) – The applicant was dismissed for requesting a film that glorifies the Nazi regime and disparages Holocaust victims. The court temporarily suspended the dismissal, stating that further investigation into the applicant’s behavior after receiving the film is necessary.

Art. 12 GG; §§ 2, 37 Abs. 2 Satz 1 BBG; § 80 Abs. 5 S. 1 VwGO

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Köln
Date of decision
Oct 6, 2021
Subjects
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Cour de cassation - 05.10.2021

Case number
N° 20-87.163
Country
  • France
Case Description

Freedom of Speech, Incitement (Liberté d'expression, Incitation) - A rap group publishes a music video on the far-right website Egalité et Réconciliation, in which images of Jewish people are burned and they are referred to as “parasites” - The first-instance conviction is overturned by the appeals court, which sees the video as merely political criticism of the financial world - In the appeal, this acquittal is overturned again because the appeals court did not sufficiently consider antisemitic symbols and elements

Art. 24, alinéa 7,Art. 29, alinéa 1 et 2,Art. 32, alinéa 2, Art. 33, alinéas 2 et 3 de la loi du 29 juillet 1881 sur la liberté de la presse; Art. 10, § 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights

Name of Court
Cour de cassation, chambre criminelle
Date of decision
Oct 5, 2021
Subjects
  • Antijudaist Iconography
  • Artistic Freedom
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Landgericht Dresden - 05.10.2021

Case number
3 O 1471/21 EV
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Costs dispute (Kostenstreit) - A municipal politician accuses a board member of an association during a city council meeting among other things of neo-Nazism and Holocaust denial whereupon the latter reacts with offensive terms online - the legal dispute was settled by an agreement only the cost issue remained disputed.

StGB § 185; ZPO § 91 a, § 98

Name of Court
Landgericht Dresden (3. Zivilkammer)
Date of decision
Oct 5, 2021
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Insult
Case
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Cour de cassation - 03.10.2021

Case number
n° 20-84.127
Country
  • France
Case Description

Antisemitic caricature, Holocaust denial (Caricature antisémite, Négationnisme) - The defendant published an article on his website containing excerpts from his lawyer's defense briefs and an anti-Semitic caricature - The texts trivialized the suffering of the victims of the Shoah by portraying the cruel treatment in the camps as mere hygiene measures - The cour de cassation convicted the man for denying crimes against humanity

Art. 24, Art. 41 bis de la loi du 29 juillet 1881 sur la liberté de la presse; Article 6, § 1, de la Convention européenne des droits de l'homme

Name of Court
Cour de cassation, chambre criminelle
Date of decision
Oct 3, 2021
Subjects
  • Antijudaist Iconography
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Sąd Apelacyjny w Warszawie - 16.08.2021

Case number
I ACa 300/21
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns a dispute over a historical publication describing wartime events involving Jews, in which the claimant alleged that portraying her relative as co responsible for the killing of Jews violated the cult of memory of the deceased; the appellate court overturned the earlier judgment and dismissed the claim, holding that the publication formed part of legitimate scholarly research on the Holocaust and Polish Jewish relations, that courts cannot adjudicate historical truth or impose standards on academic methodology, and that freedom of scientific research and expression prevails unless there is clear bad faith or falsification, even in sensitive matters involving Jewish victims.

Art. 23, Art. 24 § 1 Civil Code

Art. 233 § 1, Art. 235 § 1, Art. 385, Art. 386 § 1, Art. 98 § 1, Art. 102 Code of Civil Procedure

Art. 10 European Convention on Human Rights

Art. 54, Art. 47, Art. 31 § 3 Constitution of the Republic of Poland

Name of Court
Sąd Apelacyjny w Warszawie I Wydział Cywilny
Date of decision
Aug 16, 2021
Subjects
  • Academic Freedom
  • Freedom of Speech
  • General right to personality
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Bundesgerichtshof - 12.08.2021

Case number
3 StR 441/20
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Murder, founding of a terrorist group, robbery ((versuchter)Mord, Raub, Totschlag, Gründung einer Terroristischen Vereinigung) - the defendants funded the so called NSU and committed twelve ideologically motivated murders of people of Southern European – primarily Turkish – origin or representatives of the state (police officers) between September 2000 and April 2007, the defendants had a close personal relationship and shared a racist, antisemitic and anti-state ideology.

§§ 211, 212, 22, 23, 253, 255, 251 StGB

Name of Court
Bundesgerichtshof
Date of decision
Aug 12, 2021
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Murder and Manslaughter
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
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Bayerischer Verfassungsgerichtshof - 11.08.2021

Case number
Vf. 97-IVa-20
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Application for declaration of withdrawal from an association (Antrag auf Erklärung des Austritts aus einer Vereinigung) - the AFD parliamentary group considers the membership of the Bavarian state parliament in the Bavarian Alliance for Tolerance (Bündnis für Toleranz) to be unconstitutional, it violates the state's principle of neutrality - the alliance is committed to combating racism, intolerance and antisemitism

Name of Court
Bayrischer Verfassungsgerichtshof
Date of decision
Aug 11, 2021
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Constitutional Court
Area of Law
  • Constitutional Law
Case
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Oberverwaltungsgericht Nordrhein-Westfalen - 09.08.2021

Case number
1 B 915/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Ban on conducting the official business of a police officer in training (Verbot der Führung der Dienstgeschäfte eines Polizeianwärters) - Concerns participation in chat groups that contain national socialist content and expose the victims of the national socialist regime, especially Jews, to ridicule - The suspensive effect (aufschiebende Wirkung) of the ejection against the prohibition order of the Federal Police Academy of February 23, 2021 is restored

§ 146 Abs. 4 Satz 6 i.V.m. Satz 1 und 3 VwGO; § 66 Satz 1 BBG

Name of Court
Oberverwaltungsgericht Nordrhein-Westfalen (1. Senat)
Date of decision
Aug 9, 2021
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Darmstadt (1. Kammer) - 05.08.2021

Case number
1 K 20/20.DA
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Action against the refusal to appoint a police officer to a senior civil service position (Verpflichtungsklage gegen Ablehnung der Ernennung zur Beamten auf Probe) - concerns doubts regarding her suitability - she was part of an online chat group where antisemitic and xenophobic content is shared - the claimant participated in it and did not take a position against what was shared

BeamtStG § 22 Abs. 4; HVwVfG § 28; GG Art. 33 Abs. 2

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Darmstadt
Date of decision
Aug 5, 2021
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Sąd Apelacyjny w Warszawie - 16.07.2021

Case number
I ACz 605/19
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns a civil claim over the use of the phrase “Polish extermination camp” in an article about a Jewish Holocaust survivor, which the claimant argued distorted responsibility for Nazi crimes and violated his personal rights; the Court of Appeal in Warsaw rejected the claim on procedural grounds, holding that Polish courts lacked jurisdiction because the publication did not identify the claimant individually, emphasising that even in Holocaust related contexts involving Jewish victims, legal protection requires a direct link between the statement and the person, and that broad references to a nation are insufficient to establish individual harm.

Art. 7(2) Regulation (EU) No. 1215/2012 (Brussels I bis)

Art. 1099 §1, Art. 386 §3 Polish Code of Civil Procedure

Name of Court
Sąd Apelacyjny w Warszawie I Wydział Cywilny
Date of decision
Jul 16, 2021
Subjects
  • General right to personality
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Greenstein v Campaign against Antisemitism – 09.07.2021

Case number
[2021] EWCA Civ 1006
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Libel – Publishing of articles in which the claimant is called among other things “a notorious anti-Semite; a racist prejudiced against all Jews” – the publication also referred to previous convictions of the claimant - appeal against order following the judgment of 06.11.2020 – test for malice Rehabiliation of Offenders Act 1974

Name of Court
Court of Appeal (Civil Division)
Date of decision
Jul 9, 2021
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • General right to personality
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Diana Neslen & Ors v David Evans - 08.07.2021

Case number
[2021] EWHC 1909 (QB) (Comm)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The subject of the proceedings is a claim brought by party members against a political party alleging unfairness in internal disciplinary investigations related to accusations of antisemitism. The claimants complained in particular about the application of an unpublished code of conduct and the continuation of proceedings under a system that had been assessed by a regulatory authority as deficient. The court dismissed the claims, finding that no actual procedural unfairness had occurred and that the individuals concerned had been given a sufficient opportunity to defend themselves - Chapter 2 Clause I.8, Chapter 6 Clause I.1.B, Chapter 2 Clause II.7 Labour Party Rule Book, Equality Act 2010, Data Protection Act 2018.

Name of Court
High Court Of Justice Queen's Bench Division Business And Property Courts Of England And Wales Commercial Court
Date of decision
Jul 8, 2021
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Israel-related Incidents
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Neslen v Evans – 08.07.2021

Case number
[2021] EWHC 1909 (QB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Investigations into antisemitism in the UK Labour Party – Eight claimants seek declaration that the Party’s investigations into antisemitism were unfair and in breach of contract – claims were dismissed Labour Party Rule Book 2020

Name of Court
High Court of Justice (Queen’s Bench Division)
Date of decision
Jul 8, 2021
Subjects
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
  • Constitutional Law
Case
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Verwaltungsgericht Düsseldorf - 05.07.2021

Case number
35 K 581/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Confiscication order in the context of disciplinary action against a police officer (Anordnung von Beschlagnahmungen im Kontext von Disziplinarverfahren gegen einen Polizeibeamten) - the plaintiff had shared nationalsocialist content online - the confiscation is declared to serves to further clarify the facts of the case, e.g. whether he has more relevant documents in his possession

§ 27 LDG NRW; §§ 33 Abs.1 S.3, 34 S. 3, 47 Abs. 1 BeamtStG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Düsseldorf
Date of decision
Jul 5, 2021
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Sąd Okręgowy w Białymstoku - 30.06.2021

Case number
III K 131/20
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Incitement (Podżeganie do nienawiści) - The judgement relates to a public gathering where antisemitic slogans were chanted - The courts found that the statements promote hatred and are contrary to penal laws and international agreements prohibiting hate speech and discrimination

Art. 24 ust. 1, Art. 24 ust. 3 Krajowy Rejestr Karny Kodeks postępowania karnego; § 2, § 3, art. 17 § 1 pkt 9, art. 49 § 1, art. 55 § 1, art. 55 § 4, art. 327 § 1, art. 616 § 1 pkt 2, art. 624 § 1, art. 632 pkt 1, art. 633, art. 640, art. 640 § 1, art. 640 § 2 Kodeks postępowania karnego; art. 11 § 2, Art. 11 § 3, Art. 48, Art. 53 § 1, Art. 57(a) § 1Art. 57(a) § 2, Art. 69 § 1, Art. 69 § 2, Art. 69 § 4, Art. 70 § 1, Art. 72 § 1 pkt 1, Art. 115 § 12, Art. 115 § 21, Art. 119 § 1, Art. 190 § 1, Art. 256, Art. 256 § 1 Kodeks karny

Name of Court
Sąd Okręgowy w Białymstoku III Wydział Karny
Date of decision
Jun 30, 2021
Subjects
  • Freedom of Assembly
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Warszawie - 29.06.2021

Case number
VII SA/Wa 953/21
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns refusal to approve a construction project on land identified as a former Jewish cemetery and Holocaust related site; the administrative court upheld the decision, holding that conservation authorities could lawfully refuse consent to protect the historical and cultural value of the site, emphasising that its status as part of Jewish heritage and a place of memory justified protection regardless of the investor’s claims, and that such proceedings cannot be used to challenge the inclusion of the land in the heritage register.

Art. 39(3) Building Law

Art. 89, Art. 93 Act on the Protection of Monuments

Art. 151 Law on Proceedings before Administrative Courts

Name of Court
Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Warszawie
Date of decision
Jun 29, 2021
Subjects
  • Attack on Jewish Places of Worship
  • Cemetery Desecration
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
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Oberlandesgericht Karlsruhe - 23.06.2021

Case number
6 U 190/20
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Free speech, general personality rights (Meinungsfreiheit, Allgemeine Persönlichkeitsrechte) - A foundation alleges that a former politician of the AfD-party is an "avowed antisemite and holocaust apologist" and is sued - the court rejects the appeal by the claimant, the former politician - court goes into detail defining antisemitism

Art. 1 Abs. 1, 5 Abs. 1, 19 Abs. 3 GG; §§ 823, 1004 BGB

Name of Court
Oberlandesgericht Karlsruhe (6. Zivilsenat)
Date of decision
Jun 23, 2021
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • General right to personality
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
  • Constitutional Law
Case
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Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care v General Pharmaceutical Council - 23.06.2021

Case number
[2021] EWHC 1692 (Admin)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Disciplinary proceedings against a pharmacist – he had publicly stated at a rally on Al Quds day in London that the Grenfell fire was also caused by Zionist interests in the Tory party – he has on many other occasions made similar remarks – concerns question whether the comments are offensive and/or antisemitic and whether he is fit to practise pharmacy – reference the the IHRA when determining whether antisemitism was at play

Rule 31(10) General Pharmaceutical Council Rules 2010,

Name of Court
High Court of Justice (Queen’s Bench Division)/Administrative Court
Date of decision
Jun 23, 2021
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Israel-related Incidents
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Hessischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof Kassel - 22.06.2021

Case number
26 A 1314/19.D
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Dismissal of a Police Officer for Breach of Loyalty Duty (Entfernung aus dem Beamtenverhältnis)-the officer had possessed and distributed right-wing extremist music and clothing. The court regarded this as a violation of the constitutional duty of loyalty, which irreparably destroyed the trust essential to the public service relationship—even in the private sphere. The officer’s arguments, including claims of ignorance regarding the content, were dismissed.

§§ 61 Abs. 1 S. 1, S. 3, 77 Abs. 1 BBG; §§ 5 Abs. 1 Nr. 5, 10, 13 Abs. 1, Abs. 2, 22 Abs. 3, 60 Abs. 2 S. 2 Nr. 1 BDG; § 130 StGB

Name of Court
Hessischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof Kassel
Date of decision
Jun 22, 2021
Subjects
  • Anti-constitutional activities
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Bundesverwaltungsgericht - 17.06.2021

Case number
2 B 56.20
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Dismissal from public office of a police officer also due to holocaust denial (Entfernung aus Dienstverhältnis auch wegen holocaustleugnender Aussagen eines Polizeibeamten) - the defendant appeals unsuccessfully against the decision of the Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg not to grant leave to appeal (Nichtzulassungsbeschwerde)

§§ 86, 108 Abs.1 S.1, 132 Abs.2 Nr.3 VwGO; §§ 58 Abs.1, 65 BDG

Name of Court
Bundesverwaltungsgericht (2. Senat)
Date of decision
Jun 17, 2021
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Oberlandesgericht Hamm - 01.06.2021

Case number
3 RVs 19/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Incitement to hatred (Volksverhetzung) - The defendant gave a speech at a birthday party of a convicted Holocaust denier - listeners claim he insinuated that the Holocaust was an invention of the Jews - concerns the question of what constitutes a denial of the Holocaust - the defendant's appeal is unsuccessful

§ 130 StGB

Name of Court
Oberlandesgericht Hamm (3. Strafsenat)
Date of decision
Jun 1, 2021
Subjects
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Discrimination
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Bundesverwaltungsgericht - 28.05.2021

Case number
2 VR 1.21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Expulsion from public service (Entlassung aus Dientsposten) - disciplinary proceedings against an intelligence officer (BND) - allegation that the applicant had breached the duty to behave with respect and trust in the service, including for statements trivializing the Holocaust - concerns question whether the servant can be excluded from promotion procedures while disciplinary proceedings are ongoing

§ 61 Abs. 1 Satz 3 BBG; Art. 33 Abs. 2 GG i.V.m. Art. 19 Abs. 4 Satz 1 GG

Name of Court
Bundesverwaltungsgericht
Date of decision
May 28, 2021
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
  • Constitutional Law
Case
View

Cour d'appel de Paris - 19.05.2021

Case number
n° 20/06191
Country
  • France
Case Description

Freedom of Speech, Conspiracy theories (liberté d'expression, théories du complot) - The convicted person published defamatory statements about the Jewish community in an interview on his website - There was talk of a “Jewish power” using migrants as a means to divide French society and provoke a civil war - The appeal confirms the guilt

Art. 23, al. 1, Art. 24, al. 7, Art. 42, Art. 53 de la loi du 29 juillet 1881 sur la liberté de la presse; Art. 131-26 du code pénal; Art. 6 III de la loi du 21 juin 2004 pour la confiance dans l'économie numérique

Name of Court
Cour d'appel de Paris (Pôle 2 – Chambre 7)
Date of decision
May 19, 2021
Subjects
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Warszawie - 12.05.2021

Case number
II SAB/Wa 675/20
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns a complaint about administrative inactivity in a request for access to documents related to exhumation of human remains found near a Jewish cemetery; the court dismissed the complaint, holding that there was no inactivity because the requested materials were part of an ongoing administrative case file and thus not subject to public information rules, emphasising that access must be sought under administrative procedure provisions, even in matters involving sensitive issues such as the protection of Jewish burial sites and remains.

Art. 1, Art. 6, Art. 16 Act on Access to Public Information

Art. 73 Code of Administrative Procedure

Art. 151 Law on Proceedings before Administrative Courts

Name of Court
Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Warszawie
Date of decision
May 12, 2021
Subjects
  • Cemetery Desecration
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Verwaltungsgericht Berlin - 10.05.2021

Case number
VG 5 L 88/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Application for interim relief after dismissal of a probationary police officer (Antrag auf Gewährung vorläufigen Rechtsschutzes nach Entlassung eines Polizeibeamten auf Probe) - Concerns question whether the posting of a picture trivialising the Holocaust in a group chat of police officers justifies the immediate dismissal of a police trainee from his position as a probationary officer

§ 80 Abs. 5 S. 1 VwGO; § 80 Abs. 3 S. 1 VwGO; § 23 Abs. 4 BeamtStG; § 34 S. 3 BeamtStG; § 101 S. 2 Bln LBG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Berlin (5. Kammer)
Date of decision
May 10, 2021
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Verfassungsgerichtshof Baden-Württemberg - 30.04.2021

Case number
1 GR 5/20
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Call to order in the state parliament (Ordnungsruf in Landtagssitzung ) - the plaintiff shouted during a session of parliament that the AfD speaker was an antisemite - this was followed by a call to order, against which the court proceedings (Organstreitverfahren) were addressed

Art. 27 Abs. 3 LV

Name of Court
Verfassungsgerichtshof Baden-Württemberg
Date of decision
Apr 30, 2021
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Insult
  • Insult of State Officials
Type of Court
  • Constitutional Court
Area of Law
  • Constitutional Law
Case
View

Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Warszawie- 30.04.2021

Case number
VII SA/Wa 2401/20
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Judicial review of a physician’s temporary suspension based on conduct involving antisemitic and Holocaust-related rhetoric. The case concerned the interim suspension of a doctor following repeated offensive communications invoking antisemitic tropes, Holocaust imagery, and racial hierarchies, combined with conduct raising concerns for patient safety. The court held that this pattern justified a reasonable suspicion of impaired fitness to practise and upheld the preventive suspension as a proportionate measure to protect public health.

Art. 12 § 1, § 3, § 4, Art. 57 § 2 Act of 5 December 1996 on the Professions of Physician and Dentist

Art. 25 point 4, Art. 40 § 4 Act of 2 December 2009 on Medical Chambers

Art. 7, Art. 10 § 2, Art. 77 § 1, Art. 80, Art. 107 § 1 point 6 and § 3, Art. 108 § 1, Art. 138 § 1 point 1 Code of Administrative Procedure

Art. 151 Act of 30 August 2002 – Law on Proceedings before Administrative Courts

Art. 15zzs⁴ Act of 2 March 2020 on Special Measures Related to the Prevention, Counteracting and Combating of COVID-19

Name of Court
Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Warszawie
Date of decision
Apr 30, 2021
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Sąd Apelacyjny w Warszawie - 21.04.2021

Case number
II AKa 212/20
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Criminal liability for antisemitic hate speech disseminated online. The accused published public social-media statements relying on classic antisemitic stereotypes and dehumanising Jews as a group. The appellate court held that the content constituted criminal hate speech, not protected opinion, emphasising the heightened harm of publicly accessible online antisemitic expressions. The conviction was upheld, reaffirming that freedom of expression does not extend to speech that stigmatizes Jews on ethnic or national grounds.

Art. 119 § 1, Art. 257 Criminal Code

Name of Court
Sąd Apelacyjny w Warszawie II Wydział Karny
Date of decision
Apr 21, 2021
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Corbyn v Millett – 20.04.2021

Case number
[2021] EWCA Civ 567
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Libel – Concerns an interview – concerns an interview by the BBC in 2018 with the former leader of the Labour Party – reference to a statement in Parliament in 2013 which was described by some as antisemitic – the claimant was one of the addressees of the statement that singled him out as a “disruptive” and “abusive” “Zionist” – appeal unsuccessful

Sections 1(1) & 3 Defamation Act 2013

Name of Court
Court of Appeal (Civil Division)
Date of decision
Apr 20, 2021
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • General right to personality
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Sąd Apelacyjny w Warszawie - V Wydział Cywilny - 09.04.2021

Case number
V ACa 24/21
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Freedom of expression (Wolności wyrażania opinii) - The case deals with a claim to remove posts and publish a correction - The claimant's picture was distributed without attribution and comments portrayed him as antisemitic - The court dismissed the claim and considered the publications to be an exercise of freedom of expression and justified criticism

Art. 23, Art. 24 § 1 Kodeks cywilny

Name of Court
Sąd Apelacyjny w Warszawie - V Wydział Cywilny
Date of decision
Apr 9, 2021
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • General right to personality
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Verwaltungsgerichtshof Bayern - 09.04.2021

Case number
16a DC 21.440
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Revocation of a conviscation order (Aufhebung von Beschlagnahmeanordnung) - Concerns the question whether the home of a police officer who is allegedly connected to QAnon is searched - court discusses the antisemitic dimension of the QAnon movement

§ 34 Satz 3 BeamtStG, Art. 65 Abs. 1 BayDG i.V.m. §146 Abs. 1 VwGO

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgerichtshof Bayern
Date of decision
Apr 9, 2021
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Conspiracy Theories
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Oberverwaltungsgericht Münster - 25.03.2021

Case number
6 B 2055/20
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Action against ban on conducting official duties (Verbot der Führung von Dienstgeschäften) - Holocaust trivialisation and other antisemitic content in online chats of a police officer in training - the police officer in training challenged the ban successfully

§ 39 BeamtstG

Name of Court
Oberverwaltungsgericht Münster (6. Senat)
Date of decision
Mar 25, 2021
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Verwaltungsgericht Freiburg - 23.03.2021

Case number
3 K 2383/20
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Action against the dismissal of a police officer in training (Anfechtungsklage gegen Entlassung aus Beamtenverhältnis) - concerns doubts about the character suitability of the plaintiff, a policeofficer in training due to his largely passive membership in an internal police WhatsApp group in which antisemitic, racist, violence-trivializing and glorifying as well as misogynistic comments and pictures are shared

Art. 33 Abs. 5 GG; §§ 7 Abs. 1 Nr. 2, 23 Abs. 4, 33 Abs. 1 S. 3, 34 S. 3 BeamtStG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Freiburg
Date of decision
Mar 23, 2021
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Sąd Apelacyjny w Krakowie - 23.03.2021

Case number
I ACa 808/19
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

National identity (Tożsamość narodowa jako dobro osobiste) - Judgement concerns the portrayal of Polish soldiers in a movie - The plaintiffs demanded apologies for the alleged denigration of their national identity and accusations regarding historical events related to the Second World War - The plaintiffs claimed, that the film portrayed the soldiers as antisemites and nationalists and made unjustified accusations against them regarding their activities during the Holocaust - The court ruling criticised the one-sided portrayal of Polish soldiers in the movie and obliged the producers to clarify and clarify certain historical facts

Art. 23, art. 24 Kodeks cywilny

Name of Court
Sąd Apelacyjny w Krakowie - I Wydział Cywilny
Date of decision
Mar 23, 2021
Subjects
  • Artistic Freedom
  • Freedom of Speech
  • General right to personality
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Oldknow v Evans - 21.03.2021

Case number
[2021] EWHC 1028 (QB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The case concerned an application for Norwich Pharmacal and/or pre-action disclosure against a political party in order to identify those responsible for leaking an internal report dealing with the party’s handling of antisemitism complaints. The antisemitism-related core lay in the alleged defamatory and privacy-infringing content of the leaked report, which attributed responsibility for the “antisemitism crisis” within the party to certain officials. The Court refused to order disclosure of the identities of persons the party “reasonably believed” to be responsible for the leak, holding that the Norwich Pharmacal jurisdiction does not extend to requiring a respondent to name individuals it merely suspects, particularly where there is a real risk that innocent persons might be identified. The Court emphasised the exceptional nature of the jurisdiction and the need to avoid speculative identification of potential wrongdoers. Norwich Pharmacal Co v Customs and Excise Commissioners [1974] AC 133; CPR 31.16; Limitation Act 1980, s. 32A

Name of Court
High Court Of Justice King's Bench Divison Media And Communications List
Date of decision
Mar 1, 2021
Subjects
  • Defamation
  • Discrimination
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Ware v Paddy French - 24.02.2021

Case number
[2022] EWHC 3030 (KB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The subject of the proceedings is a defamation lawsuit brought by a journalist against an author concerning an article about a television documentary on antisemitism within a political party. The core of the dispute concerns allegations of “unprofessional journalism” and the deliberate misrepresentation of facts with the aim of influencing election outcomes. The court held that the statements in question must be classified as defamatory statements of fact - Clause 5.12 Ofcom Broadcasting Code, Common Law (Libel), Defamation Act 2013.

Name of Court
High Court Of Justice King's Bench Divison Media And Communications List
Date of decision
Feb 24, 2021
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Landgericht Koblenz (9. Zivilkammer) - 22.02.2021

Case number
9 O 80/20
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Free speech (Meinungsfreiheit), Damages (Schadensersatz) for allegations of antisemitism - concerns a writer on Wikipedia who has contributed to texts about the Arab-Israeli conflict, German Jews and politicians - the writer has described many persons and also the claimant as antizionist and antiamerican - correction of the Rubrum of the judgment

§ 319 Abs. 1 ZPO

Name of Court
Landgericht Koblenz (9. Zivilkammer)
Date of decision
Feb 22, 2021
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Restitution
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Truppendienstgericht Nord - 18.02.2021

Case number
N7 VL81/19
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Soldier is removed from employment (Entlassung) - Behavior of a soldier that gives the impression of a high level of identification with the so-called Reich-Citizen's Movement (Reichsbürger) and thus of an anti-constitutional attitude - removal from service

§ 17 Abs. 3 S. 2, § 38 Abs. 1 WDO

Name of Court
Truppendienstgericht Nord (7. Kammer)
Date of decision
Feb 18, 2021
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Conspiracy Theories
Type of Court
  • Special Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Cour d'appel de Paris - 18.02.2021

Case number
n° 20/00783
Country
  • France
Case Description

Following the terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent Israeli military response, the daily newspaper Ouest-France published a front page with the headline "Gaza under bombs" (Gaza sous les bombes). On October 10, 2023, an anonymous user under the handle @chacha28011 posted a tweet featuring a portrait of the plaintiff, [C]-[S] [W], alongside the journal's front page. The tweet stated that [W] "assumes his islamo-leftism and his most abject antisemitism" and referred to him and the staff as "traitors in the pay of the Foreigner" and "journaleux". M. [W] sought a court order for X to delete the tweet, provide the user's identification data, and pay damages. While the court acknowledged the remarks were "outrageous" (outranciers), it ruled that they did not constitute a manifest abuse of freedom of expression.

l'article 40 de la loi du 29 juillet 1881 et vu les articles 121-6 à 132-19 du code pénal.

Name of Court
Cour d'appel de Paris
Date of decision
Feb 18, 2021
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Oberlandesgericht Frankfurt am Main - 09.02.2021

Case number
16 W 87/20
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Free speech, general personality rights (Meinungsfreiheit, Allgemeines Persönlichkeitrecht) - the applicant lodges an appeal against a decision by the Frankfurt Regional Court that rejected the requested injunction (Unterlassung) concerning the statement that the applicant is an anitsemite - the complaint is dismissed, his general right of personality was not found to be violated

§ 1004 Abs. 1 Satz 2 i.V.m. § 823 Abs. 1 BGB; Art. 2 Abs. 1 iVm Art. 1 Abs. 1 GG, Art 5 Abs. 1 GG

Name of Court
Oberlandesgericht Frankfurt am Main (16. Zivilsenat)
Date of decision
Feb 9, 2021
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • General right to personality
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Bundesgerichtshof - 09.02.2021

Case number
NStZ-RR 2021, 136; AK 3 und 4/21
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Decision on the defendant's continued detention for participation in a criminal organization (Entscheidung über die Haftfortdauer des Beklagten wegen Beteiligung in einer kriminellen Vereinigung) - the defendant created an online forum with unknown accomplices on which anti-Semitic and inciting ideas are shared - detention is to continue.

StGB §129 Abs. 1 S. 1 Alt. 1, Alt. 2, Abs. 2, Abs. 5 S. 1, S. 2, §129a Abs. 1, Abs. 4, §130 Abs. 1 Nr. 1, Nr. 2, Abs. 2 Nr. 1 lit. a, lit. b, Abs. 3

Name of Court
Bundesgerichtshof (3. Strafsenat)
Date of decision
Feb 9, 2021
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Tribunal Judiciaire de Paris - 04.02.2021

Case number
20023000020, UEJF et a. c/ E. Zemmour
Country
  • France
Case Description

Holocaust denial (Contestation de crimes contre l’humanité) – The Paris Judicial Court acquitted a French politician, prosecuted for declaring that “Pétain saved the French Jews,” holding that although the statement suggested Pétain had protected Jews, its spontaneous nature in a heated debate context excluded any deliberate intent to deny or minimize the genocide.

Art. 24 bis Loi du 29 juillet 1881 sur la liberté de la presse.

Name of Court
Tribunal Judiciaire de Paris
Date of decision
Feb 4, 2021
Subjects
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Corbyn v Evans – 27.01.2021

Case number
[2021] EWHC 130 (QB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Investigations into antisemitism in the Labour Party – following the publication of a report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission the former leader of the Party argued on Facebook that the “scale of the problem was also dramatically overstated for political reasons” resulting in the suspension from the Party pending an internal investigation – concerns question whether he has violated Labour Party rules

Civil Procedure Rules 1998/3132 r. 31.16(3)(a) to (d)

Name of Court
High Court of Justice (Queen’s Bench Division)
Date of decision
Jan 27, 2021
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Sozialgericht Mainz - 26.01.2021

Case number
S 3 KA 13/20
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Revocation of a statutory dental care licence (Entziehung einer Lizenz zur vertragszahnärztlichen Versorgung) - a Jewish dentist repeatedly clashes with his Association of Statutory Health Dentists and accuses them of antisemitism and racism - the association revokes the dentist's license to provide statutory health dental care against which he takes legal action.

SGG §105 Abs. 1, §136 Abs. 2 S. 1, §197a, SGB V §95 Abs. 6, §96 Abs. 4 S. 1, §97 SGB X §40

Name of Court
Sozialgericht Mainz (3. Kammer)
Date of decision
Jan 26, 2021
Subjects
  • Refusal to License a Business
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Sąd Najwyższy - 19.01.2021

Case number
III KK 70/20
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Criminal proceedings concerning commemorative expression opposing antisemitism and recalling the Holocaust. An artist was prosecuted for publicly displaying the message “I miss you, Jew” as part of an artistic project commemorating Jewish communities exterminated during the Holocaust. The Supreme Court quashed the conviction, holding that the expression was not antisemitic but a gesture of remembrance and resistance to antisemitism, and that penalising such conduct would constitute an unjustified interference with freedom of expression and artistic freedom.

Art. 1 § 1, Art. 63a § 1 Criminal Petty Offences Code

Art. 537 § 2 Code of Criminal Procedure

Art. 112 Code of Procedure in Petty Offences

Art. 54 ust. 1, Art. 73 Constitution of the Republic of Poland

Art. 10 European Convention on Human Rights

Art. 19 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;

Art. 11 and Art. 13 Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union

Name of Court
Sąd Najwyższy - Izba Karna
Date of decision
Jan 19, 2021
Subjects
  • Antijudaist Iconography
  • Artistic Freedom
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Cour d'appel Paris pôle 2 - 7e ch. - 14.01.2021

Case number
n° 20/01335
Country
  • France
Case Description

On December 29, 2015, the defendant posted a message on the Twitter account "Lesquen2017" stating: "Centered on rhythm, negro music addresses the reptilian brain". The defendant argued that the term "negro music" (musique nègre) was not pejorative and that his analysis was a scientific "judgment of knowledge" based on Professor Paul MacLean’s "triune brain" theory, which identifies the reptilian brain as the seat of instincts. The court rejected the defendant's defense that his remarks were purely scientific or objective. By specifically linking "negro music" to the "reptilian brain," the defendant chose a formulation intended to be contemptuous toward a group defined by their race. The defendant is ordered to pay a symbolic one Euro (1 €) in damages to each of the following associations: UEJF, J'accuse!, MRAP, LICRA, Avocats Sans Frontières, and SOS Racisme.

articles 23, 29 alinéa 2 et 33 alinéa 3 de la loi du 29 juillet 1881 sur la liberté de la presse

Name of Court
Cour d'appel Paris
Date of decision
Jan 14, 2021
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Landgericht Koblenz (9. Zivilkammer) - 14.01.2021

Case number
9 O 80/20
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Free speech (Meinungsfreiheit), Damages (Schadensersatz) for allegations of antisemitismus - concerns a writer on Wikipedia who has contributed to texts about the Arab-Israeli conflict, German Jews and politicians - the writer has described many persons and also the claimant as antizionist and antiamerican

BGB § 253, § 823; GG Art. 1 Abs. 1, Art. 2 Abs. 1, Art. 5 Abs. 1

Name of Court
Landgericht Koblenz (9. Zivilkammer)
Date of decision
Jan 14, 2021
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • General right to personality
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Oberlandesgericht Naumburg - 21.12.2020

Case number
1 St 1/20
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Attempted murder and murder, (attempted) aggravated robbery, negligent bodily harm, endangering traffic (versuchter Mord und Mord, räubersiche Erpressung, gefährliche Körperverletzung, Gefährdung des Straßenverkehrs) - Attempted armed attack on the synagogue in Halle - the perpetrator primarily intended to target Jews as "the root of all evil" with his attack - the court orders indeterminate preventive detention for the defendant (Sicherheitsverwahrung)

§§ 211, 212, 223, 224, 250, 253 StGB

Name of Court
Oberlandesgericht Naumburg
Date of decision
Dec 21, 2020
Subjects
  • Murder and Manslaughter
  • Pogroms and Violent Attacks on Persons
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny we Wrocławiu - 18.12.2020

Case number
IV SAB/Wr 423/20
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Access to information concerning Jewish cemeteries and sites of Holocaust-related martyrdom. The applicant sought information from a Jewish religious community on the location and funding of Jewish cemeteries, invoking their historical link to antisemitic persecution and public oversight. The court dismissed the complaint, holding that despite their cultural and historical significance, religious communities maintaining Jewish cemeteries do not perform public tasks and are not subject to public-information duties absent proven use of public funds.

Art. 1(1), Art. 4(1)(5), Art. 6(1)(5)(d), Art. 13(1) Act of 6 September 2001 on Access to Public Information

Art. 61(1) and (2), Art. 25(3) Constitution of the Republic of Poland

Art. 52(1) and (2), Art. 119(4), Art. 151 Law of 30 August 2002 on Proceedings before Administrative Courts

Art. 9(1), Art. 9(2)(2), Art. 11(1) Act of 17 May 1989 on Guarantees of Freedom of Conscience and Religion

Art. 2(2) Act of 31 January 1959 on Cemeteries and Burial of the Deceased

Name of Court
Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny we Wrocławiu
Date of decision
Dec 18, 2020
Subjects
  • Freedom of Religion
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Cour d’appel de Paris - 17.12.2020

Case number
n° 20/00712
Country
  • France
Case Description

The case concerned a rap video titled "Le Rap des Gilets Jaunes" posted on January 21, 2019, on the website Egalité et Réconciliation. The civil parties filed a direct summons against the defendant, B., for his role as director of the publication. The video contained controversial lyrics and images, including: Phrases like "The French can't take any more of these parasites" and "It is only by kicking out the Rothschilds that we can save France". Visuals showing the name "Rothschild" and photographs of personalities such as Jacques Attali, Bernard-Henri Lévy, and Patrick Drahi being thrown into flames. In the first instance, the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Bobigny (September 19, 2019) convicted B. of all charges, sentencing him to 24 months in prison (with 6 months suspended) and a fine of 45,000 euros, while awarding significant damages to the civil parties. B. and the Public Prosecutor appealed the decision.

The core question was whether the video, through its imagery and lyrics targeting specific Jewish individuals in finance and media, constituted a criminal provocation to hatred or an insult against the Jewish community as a whole. The court concluded that it could not be proven that the remarks targeted the Jewish community in its entirety, as the individuals depicted were targeted for their positions in finance, media, or politics which "can divide public opinion".

les articles 29 alinéa 1 et 32, alinéa 2, de la loi du 29 juillet 1881

Name of Court
Cour d’appel de Paris
Date of decision
Dec 17, 2020
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Verwaltungsgericht Düsseldorf - 15.12.2020

Case number
L 2370/20
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Action against ban on conducting official duties (Verbot der Führung von Dienstgeschäften) - Holocaust trivialisation and other antisemitic content in online chats of a police officer in training - suspensive effect is denied

§ 80 Abs. 3 Satz 1 VwGO, § 39 S 1 BeamtStG

Name of Court
Verwaltungsgericht Düsseldorf (2. Kammer)
Date of decision
Dec 15, 2020
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Warszawie - 14.12.2020

Case number
I SA/Wa 1671/20
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns refusal to initiate proceedings on restitution of property allegedly affected by post war agrarian reform, where the applicant invoked Holocaust related arguments including the so called Act 447. The court rejected this, holding that such references have no legal relevance in Polish law, and emphasised that claims connected to Jewish property losses must be based on proven legal succession and domestic legal grounds, not on broader historical or political narratives, thereby preventing the misuse of Holocaust related discourse in property disputes.

Art. 61a § 1, Art. 28, Art. 7, Art. 77 § 1, Art. 80, Art. 107 § 3 Code of Administrative Procedure

Art. 151, Art. 134 § 1, Art. 119 point 3, Art. 120 Law on Proceedings before Administrative Courts

Art. 1025 § 2, Art. 1027 Civil Code

Art. 2 Decree of 6 September 1944 on Agrarian Reform

Name of Court
Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny
Date of decision
Dec 14, 2020
Subjects
  • Restitution
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Conseil d'État (3ème et 8ème chambres) - 11.12.2020

Case number
n° 426483
Country
  • France
Case Description

In March 2015, the Mayor of Chalon-sur-Saône issued a press release announcing the end of a 31-year practice of offering substitute menus whenever pork was served in municipal school canteens. The decision was framed as a "return to the principle of secularism," arguing that religious requirements should not be considered in public services. The "Ligue de défense judiciaire des musulmans" (LDJM) and several individuals challenged this decision. The court ruled that Local authorities managing school catering are under no obligation to provide differentiated meals based on religious convictions, and users have no right to demand them. Furthermore, neither the principle of secularism nor the principle of neutrality of public services prohibits local authorities from choosing to offer such substitute meals. A decision to terminate a long-standing practice of substitute menus cannot be legally justified solely by invoking the principle of secularism if no specific organizational or financial constraints are demonstrated.

Article 1 of the Constitution; Law of December 9, 1905 (Separation of Churches and State); Article L. 141-2 of the Education Code

Name of Court
Conseil d'État
Date of decision
Dec 11, 2020
Subjects
  • Other
  • Workplace and labour issues
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Naczelny Sąd Administracyjny - 09.12.2020

Case number
II OSK 1453/18
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Inclusion of a former Jewish cemetery in the register of protected monuments (Wpis byłego cmentarza żydowskiego do rejestru zabytków) – The court concluded that there is a public interest in the inclusion of the cemetery in the register of protected monuments, as it helps to preserve the memory of the Jewish community that lived in the town – It was found that the cemetery has an undeniable historical and symbolic value and should therefore be legally protected in order to preserve its integrity.

Art. 3 pkt 1, Art. 9 ust. 1 Ochrona zabytków i opieka nad zabytkami, Art. 30 ust. 1, Art. 30 ust. 2, Art. 32 ust. 4 Stosunek Państwa do gmin wyznaniowych żydowskich w Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej

Name of Court
Naczelny Sąd Administracyjny
Date of decision
Dec 9, 2020
Subjects
  • Cemetery Desecration
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Naczelny Sąd Administracyjny - 09.12.2020

Case number
II OSK 1453/18
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Inclusion of a former Jewish cemetery in the register of protected monuments (Wpis byłego cmentarza żydowskiego do rejestru zabytków) – The court concluded that there is a public interest in the inclusion of the cemetery in the register of protected monuments, as it helps to preserve the memory of the Jewish community that lived in the town in question in the past and was murdered during the Holocaust – It was found that the cemetery has an undeniable historical and symbolic value and should therefore be legally protected in order to preserve its integrity.

Art. 3 pkt 1, Art. 9 ust. 1 Ochrona zabytków i opieka nad zabytkami, Art. 30 ust. 1, Art. 30 ust. 2, Art. 32 ust. 4 Stosunek Państwa do gmin wyznaniowych żydowskich w Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej

Name of Court
Naczelny Sąd Administracyjny
Date of decision
Dec 9, 2020
Subjects
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Sąd Apelacyjny w Katowicach - 23.11.2020

Case number
V ACa 499/19
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns a prisoner who alleged religious discrimination based on Judaism, claiming that prison authorities restricted his religious practices, including diet and observance of the Sabbath; the court found no evidence of antisemitism or discrimination, emphasizing that the authorities acted on neutral legal grounds and that the claimant failed to demonstrate any causal link between the measures taken and his Jewish faith, confirming that subjective perceptions of unequal treatment are insufficient without objective proof.

Art. 23, Art. 24, Art. 448 Civil Code

Name of Court
Sąd Apelacyjny w Katowicach V Wydział Cywilny
Date of decision
Nov 23, 2020
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Freedom of Religion
  • General right to personality
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Greenstein v Campaign against Antisemitism – 06.11.2020

Case number
[2020] EWHC 2951 (QB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Libel – Publishing of articles in which the claimant is called among other things “a notorious anti-Semite; a racist prejudiced against all Jews” – entitlement to summary judgment and more

Data Protection Act 1998, Defamation Act 2013

Name of Court
High Court of Justice (Queen’s Bench Division)
Date of decision
Nov 6, 2020
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • General right to personality
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Sąd Apelacyjny w Warszawie - 6.11.2020

Case number
V ACa 417/20
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Civil liability for violation of personal rights arising from antisemitic statements. A Jewish claimant brought a civil action against an individual who publicly disseminated antisemitic stereotypes and conspiracy narratives portraying Jews as a hostile group. The courts held that such expressions constituted unlawful antisemitic hate speech, infringed dignity and reputation, and were not protected by freedom of expression, affirming civil-law protection against antisemitism as a violation of personal rights.

Art. 23, Art. 24 § 1, Art. 448 Civil Code

Art. 31 § 3, Art. 54 Constitution of the Republic of Poland

Name of Court
Sąd Apelacyjny w Warszawie V Wydział Cywilny
Date of decision
Nov 6, 2020
Subjects
  • Defamation
  • Discrimination
  • General right to personality
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Kielcach - 07.10.2020

Case number
IISA/Ke 497/20
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Discrimination/application for a living allowance (Dyskryminacja/Wniosek o zasiłek na pokrycie kosztów utrzymania) - Refusal of an allowance for living expenses - The refusal was based on the fact that the applicant's income exceeded the income criterion and that he spent a significant part of his income on legal support - The applicant accused the authorities of antisemitic motives - No evidence of antisemitic motives.

Art. 7, Art. 127 § 2, Art. 138 § 1 pkt 1 Kodeks postępowania administracyjnego; Art. 3 § 1, Art. 119 pkt 2, Art. 134 § 1, Art. 145 § 1, Art. 145 § 2, Art. 151; Prawo o postępowaniu przed sądami administracyjnymi; Art. 2 ust. 1, Art. 8 ust. 1 pkt 1, Art. 39 ust. 1, Art. 41 pkt 1 Pomoc

Name of Court
Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Kielcach
Date of decision
Oct 7, 2020
Subjects
  • Discrimination
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Conseil d’État 2ème et 7ème chambres - 25.09.2020

Case number
n° 437524
Country
  • France
Case Description

The plaintiffs, representing fairground workers and travelers, sought the annulment of Decree No. 99-778 of September 10, 1999, and the Prime Minister’s refusal to repeal it. This decree established a commission to compensate victims of property seizures (spoliations) carried out under anti-Semitic legislation in force during the Occupation. The plaintiffs argued that the decree was discriminatory because it excluded other victims of spoliation during the same period, specifically Roma/Sinti (Tsiganes) and travelers. The central issue was whether limiting the commission's scope to victims of anti-Semitic laws violated the principle of equality. The Court held that while various categories of people suffered spoliation during the Occupation, those targeted by anti-Semitic persecutions were subject to a policy of systematic extermination. This unique and specific historical situation justified the creation of a specialized compensation mechanism limited to that group. Consequently, the Court ruled that the principle of equality was not violated.

le décret n° 99-778 du 10 septembre 1999; article L. 243-2 du code des relations entre le public et l'administration; articles 2 et 17 de la Déclaration des droits de l'homme et du citoyen; Principe d'égalité

Name of Court
Conseil d’État
Date of decision
Sep 25, 2020
Subjects
  • Compensation
  • Stolen Art
Type of Court
  • Constitutional Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Sąd Najwyższy - 22.09.2020

Case number
I CSK 632/18
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Liability for violation of personal rights (Odpowiedzialność za naruszenie dóbr osobistych) - Concerns whethr personality rights were violated by an online article and comments on a website - In an article a person was accused of antisemitism - Web portal must publish an apology.

Art. 5, Art. 24, Art. 24 § 1 Kodeks cywilny; Art. 321 § 1 Kodeks postępowania cywilnego; Art. 14 ust. 1 Świadczenie usług drogą elektroniczną

Name of Court
Sąd Najwyższy - Izba Cywilna
Date of decision
Sep 22, 2020
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • General right to personality
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Sąd Apelacyjny w Warszawie - 29.09.2020

Case number
V ACa 61/20
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Protection of personal rights, insult (Ochrona dóbr osobistych, obraza) - A blogger was ordered to pay court costs after insulting a politician as a ‘szmalcownik’. The term ‘Szmalcownik’ refers to a person who blackmailed Jews during the Nazi occupation by demanding ransom and threatening to denounce them or hand them over to the Gestapo - The court ruled that the term violated the politician's dignity.

Art. 23, Art. 24, Art. 24 § 1 kodeks cywilny; Art. 47 Konstytucja Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej; Art. 10 ust. 1 Konwencja o ochronie praw człowieka i podstawowych wolności. Rzym.1950.11.04.

Name of Court
Sąd Apelacyjny w Warszawie - V Wydział Cywilny
Date of decision
Sep 22, 2020
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • General right to personality
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

B C and Others v Chief Constable Police Service of Scotland and Others – 28.06.2020

Case number
[2020] CSIH 61
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Incitement, right of privacy – the petitioners are police constables against whom misconduct proceedings were initiated after sexist, racist and antisemitic Whatsapp private messages were found – case concerns the right of privacy in the common law of Scotland – the reclaiming motion is refused

Police Service for Scotland Regulations 2013, Art. 8 ECHR

Name of Court
Court of Session, Inner House
Date of decision
Sep 16, 2020
Subjects
  • Actions against or dismissal of public servants
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Sąd Najwyższy - 4.09.2020

Case number
I CSK 67/20
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Protection of personal rights in a press dispute involving comparison to Nazi antisemitic propaganda. The claimant challenged a publication that compared her public statements to Nazi-era antisemitic rhetoric used against Jews. The courts held that such comparisons carry an exceptional historical and moral burden and may unlawfully infringe personal dignity, ordering a public apology. The Supreme Court refused to hear the cassation appeal, confirming that invoking Nazi antisemitic propaganda can exceed the limits of permissible criticism.

Art. 23, Art. 24 Civil Code

Art. 398⁹ § 1–2, Art. 398⁴ § 2, Art. 98 § 1 Code of Civil Procedure

Art. 10 § 4 point 2, Art. 2 point 5 Regulation of the Minister of Justice of 22 October 2015 on Attorneys’ Fees

Name of Court
Sąd Najwyższy - Izba Cywilna
Date of decision
Sep 4, 2020
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • General right to personality
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Bundessozialgericht - 04.09.2020

Case number
B 5 R 106/20 B
Country
  • Germany: Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Case Description

Compensation, granting of a pension (Entschädigung, Gewährung einer Regelaltersrente) - plaintiff claims having been forced to work in the Budapest ghetto - the court finds the plaintiff's complaint inadmissible

§ 73 Abs 4 SGG, ZRBG

Name of Court
Bundessozialgericht (5. Senat)
Date of decision
Sep 4, 2020
Subjects
  • Compensation
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Sąd Apelacyjny w Białymstoku - 4.09.2020

Case number
I ACa 649/19
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Protection of personal rights in a dispute between a journalist and a foundation combating antisemitism. A journalist published articles questioning the credibility and integrity of a foundation engaged in countering racism and antisemitism. The Court of Appeal held that, although such organisations are subject to public criticism, journalists must exercise special diligence and cannot present unverified insinuations as facts. Finding that the article titles implied misconduct without sufficient basis, the court ordered publication of an apology for infringing the foundation’s good name.

Art. 23, Art. 24 § 1, Art. 43 Civil Code

Art. 12 ust. 1 pkt 1–2 Press Law Act

Art. 386 § 1, Art. 385 Code of Civil Procedure

Name of Court
Sąd Apelacyjny w Białymstoku I Wydział Cywilny
Date of decision
Sep 4, 2020
Subjects
  • Defamation
  • Freedom of Speech
  • General right to personality
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Tribunal judiciaire de Paris - 18.08.2020

Case number
P19073000884
Country
  • France
Case Description

Freedom of Speech, Conspiracy theories (liberté d'expression, théories du complot) - The convicted person published defamatory statements about the Jewish community in an interview on his website - There was talk of a “Jewish power” using migrants as a means to divide French society and provoke a civil war

Art. 23, al. 1, Art. 24, al. 7, Art. 42, Art. 53 de la loi du 29 juillet 1881 sur la liberté de la presse; Art. 131-26 du code pénal; Art. 6 III de la loi du 21 juin 2004 pour la confiance dans l'économie numérique

Name of Court
Tribunal judiciaire de Paris (17ème chambre)
Date of decision
Aug 18, 2020
Subjects
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Warszawie - 26.07.2020

Case number
VII SA/Wa 2154/19
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Entry in the register of monuments (Wpis do rejestru zabytków) - Confirmation of the decision to include a building with historical and cultural links to the Jewish community in the register of monuments

Art. 9 ust. 1 Ochrona zabytków i opieka nad zabytkami

Name of Court
Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Warszawie
Date of decision
Jul 26, 2020
Subjects
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Administrative Law
Case
View

Sąd Apelacyjny w Warszawie - 21.07.2020

Case number
I ACa 382/19
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Protection of the personality rights of persons engaged in public activities (Ochrona dóbr osobistych osób podejmujących działalność publiczną) - allegations of homophobic, antisemitic and derogatory statements towards women - The court ruled that the statements were protected by freedom of expression

Art. 24 Kodeks cywilny; Art. 12 ust. 1 pkt 1 Prawo prasowe

Name of Court
Sąd Apelacyjny w Warszawie - I Wydział Cywilny
Date of decision
Jul 21, 2020
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Sąd Najwyższy - 10.07.2020

Case number
I CSK 167/19
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Protection of personal rights in the context of antisemitic hate speech on an internet portal. The claimant complained that a media company allowed anonymous online comments containing vulgar and antisemitic content to remain accessible under one of its articles. The Supreme Court held that a hosting provider may incur civil liability for tolerating clearly antisemitic and abusive comments where their unlawful nature is obvious, even in the absence of prior formal notification.

Art. 23, Art. 24 Civil Code

Art. 14(1), Art. 15 Act on Providing Services by Electronic Means

Art. 10 European Convention on Human Rights

Name of Court
Sąd Najwyższy - Izba Cywilna
Date of decision
Jul 10, 2020
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Freedom of Speech
  • General right to personality
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Supreme Court
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Millett v Corbyn - 10.07.2020

Case number
QB-2019-002079
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The proceedings concerned a defamation claim arising from a television statement made in the context of the public debate on antisemitism, in which two unnamed individuals were described as highly disruptive and very abusive towards a speaker. The antisemitism-related core issue was whether, in the context of the controversy at the time, the statement would be understood as portraying an identifiable individual in a defamatory manner as aggressive and abusive. The court held, as preliminary issues, that the statement referred to the claimant, constituted allegations of fact, and conveyed a sufficiently defamatory tendency; the issue of “serious harm” had not yet been determined. Defamation Act 2013, section 1; Limitation Act 1980, section 35; Civil Procedure Rules, rule 17.4; CPR PD 39A para 6.1

Name of Court
High Court Of Justice King's Bench Divison Media And Communications List
Date of decision
Jul 10, 2020
Subjects
  • Defamation
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Millet v Corbyn – 20.04.2021

Case number
[2020]EWHC 1848 (QB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

Libel – Concerns an interview – concerns an interview by the BBC in 2018 with the former leader of the Labour Party – reference to a statement in Parliament in 2013 which was described by some as antisemitic – the claimant was one of the addressees of the statement that singled him out as a “disruptive”, “abusive”, “Zionist” and not understanding of English irony

Defamation Act 2013

Name of Court
High Court of Justice (Queen’s Bench Division)
Date of decision
Jul 10, 2020
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • General right to personality
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Sąd Apelacyjny w Warszawie - 07.07.2020

Case number
V ACa 511/19
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Personality rights of public figures and the right to freedom of expression (Ochrona dóbr osobistych osób publicznych a wolność wyrażania opinii) - A rights ombudsman in Poland made critical remarks in an interview towards a politician and his donors - Politician sued him for antisemitic remarks - The court rejected the claim because his remarks were considered opinions and not facts

Art. 23, art. 24 Kodeks cywilny

Name of Court
Sąd Apelacyjny w Warszawie - V Wydział Cywilny
Date of decision
Jul 7, 2020
Subjects
  • Freedom of Speech
  • General right to personality
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Insult
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Sąd Rejonowy dla Warszawy-Śródmieścia w Warszawie - 30.06.2020

Case number
X K 955/19
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

The case concerns online antisemitic hate speech in which the accused published content inciting hatred against Jews on national and religious grounds; the court found the offence clearly proven, convicted the accused, imposed a financial penalty and ordered publication of the judgment, affirming that public incitement against Jews, including online, is a punishable criminal act.

Art. 256 § 1, Art. 39 point 8, Art. 43b Criminal Code

Art. 500 § 1 i 3, Art. 627 Code of Criminal Procedure

Name of Court
Sąd Rejonowy dla Warszawy-Śródmieścia w Warszawie X Wydział Karny
Date of decision
Jun 30, 2020
Subjects
  • Discrimination
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Sąd Rejonowy w Brzozowie - 29.06.2020

Case number
II K 381/19
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Incitement to hatred (Podżeganie do nienawiści wobec osób narodowości żydowskiej) - Concerns the postings on an Internet portal in which the defendant denied the existence of German concentration camps on Polish soil and called for violence against persons of Jewish nationality

Art. 627 Kodeks postępowania karnego, Art. 11 § 2, Art. 11 § 3, Art. 33 § 1, Art. 33 § 3, Art. 43(b), Art. 69 § 1, Art. 69 § 2, Art. 70 § 1, Art. 71 § 1, Art. 72 § 1 pkt 2, Art. 73 § 1, Art. 91 § 1, Art. 256 § 1, art. 257 Kodeks karny, Art. 2 ust. 1 pkt 3 Opłaty w sprawach karnych, Art. 55 Instytut Pamięci Narodowej - Komisja Ścigania Zbrodni przeciwko Narodowi Polskiemu

Name of Court
Sąd Rejonowy w Brzozowie - II Wydział Karny
Date of decision
Jun 29, 2020
Subjects
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Cour d’appel de Paris - 25.06.2020

Case number
n° 19/05268
Country
  • France
Case Description

The case concerns the conviction of B. (alias Soral), the publication director of the website "Égalité et Réconciliation," and his lawyer V. (alias D.), regarding an article published online that contained negationist arguments and minimized the atrocities of the Holocaust. The published text argued that the displays of shoes and hair at Holocaust memorial sites were "staged" to "strike the imagination". It further claimed that the cutting of hair in concentration camps was merely a matter of "hygiene" to prevent typhus and dismissed reports of soap or lampshades made from human remains as "war propaganda" by the "enemies of defeated Germany". Several anti-racist organizations, including LICRA and UEJF, reported the publication to the prosecutor. The Court of Appeal confirmed the guilt of the primary defendant but acquitted the lawyer of complicity.

Arts. 23 and 24 bis of the Law of July 29, 1881 (Freedom of the Press); Arts. 121-6 and 121-7 of the Criminal Code (Complicity)

Name of Court
Cour d’appel de Paris
Date of decision
Jun 25, 2020
Subjects
  • Holocaust Denial & Trivialisation
Type of Court
  • Court of Appeal
Area of Law
  • Criminal Law
Case
View

Howell v Evans & Anor - 19.06.2020

Case number
[2020] EWHC 2070 (QB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The case concerns an application arising out of internal Labour Party governance disputes, in which the claimant referred to an internal report of the Labour Party’s Governance and Legal Unit concerning the handling of antisemitism complaints between 2014 and 2019 as part of the factual background. The High Court addressed procedural and substantive issues relating to the relief sought, without making any legal determination on antisemitism, which appeared only as contextual background through the reference to the internal report.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
Jun 19, 2020
Subjects
  • Other
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
View

Sąd Okręgowy w Warszawie - 18.06.2020

Case number
II C 21/19
Country
  • Poland
Case Description

Discrimination/insult/freedom of speech (Dyskryminacja/znieważenie/wolność słowa) - The defendant had called the PiS party “an organized criminal group” and had possibly expressed an antisemitic attitude - the court ruled that the defendant's statements were not explicitly antisemitic and dismissed the claim for violation of personality rights

Art. 23, Art. 24, Art. 24 § 1, Art. 33(1) § 1, Art. 43, Art. 448 Kodeks cywilny; Art. 98 § 1, Art. 98 § 3, Art. 227, Art. 235(2) § 1 pkt 2, Art. 245, Art. 278, Art. 299, Art. 302 § 1, Art. 308, Art. 309 Kodeks postępowania cywilnego; Art. 258 Kodeks karny

Name of Court
Sąd Okręgowy w Warszawie - III Wydział Cywilny
Date of decision
Jun 18, 2020
Subjects
  • Academic Freedom
  • Discrimination
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech and Incitement
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
Case
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Riley & Anor v Heybroek - 19.05.2020

Case number
[2020] EWHC 1259 (QB)
Country
  • United Kingdom
Case Description

The case concerns a defamation claim brought by Rachel Riley and Tracy Ann Oberman against the defendant in relation to an article published online. The High Court examined whether the article conveyed defamatory meanings about the claimants, taking into account the context in which it was written, including references to public debate about antisemitism, and addressed whether the claim disclosed an arguable cause of action capable of proceeding.

Name of Court
High Court
Date of decision
May 19, 2020
Subjects
  • Defamation
Type of Court
  • Court of first instance
Area of Law
  • Civil Law
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