Left Party MP expelled from German parliament over Palestine t-shirt
www.euronews.com
Bundestag president Julia Klöckner explained that political statements expressed through clothing are not allowed, before asking Köktürk to leave. #EuropeNews

Left Party MP Cansin Köktürk was thrown out of a German parliament plenary chamber on Wednesday for wearing a t-shirt with the word “Palestine” printed on it, a move deemed a political statement by the parliamentary leadership.

Bundestag President Julia Klöckner intervened during the session, reminding MPs that political messages on clothing are not permitted in the chamber.

While the Bundestag does not have a detailed dress code, its rules require MPs and visitors to dress “in keeping with the prestige” of the institution. Enforcement of this standard is left to the discretion of the session chair.

    • acargitz@lemmy.caEnglish
      36·
      2 days ago

      In the same way that protesting with a blank sheet of paper in Russia is politically dangerous and illegal.

      It’s only political to the extent that it exposes German hypocrisy.

      • remon@ani.socialEnglish
        41·
        2 days ago

        Nope, it’s just the dresscode being enforced as it always has been.

        • acargitz@lemmy.caEnglish
          24·
          2 days ago

          While the Bundestag does not have a detailed dress code, its rules require MPs and visitors to dress “in keeping with the prestige” of the institution.

          So, there is no actual rule that she actually broke, unless we interpret the word “Palestine” to be not in keeping with the prestige of the Budestag. Are other country names or geographical regions also not in keeping with the prestige of the Bundestag? Like, when I visit can I not wear a shirt that says “Greece” on it? Or that says “Quebec” or “Antarctica”? Or is this is a special rule for country names that butthurt Germany’s “staatsraison”?

          • remon@ani.socialEnglish
            4·
            2 days ago

            Enforcement of this standard is left to the discretion of the session chair.

            The decision here is totally in line with how it was enforced in the past, unrelated to Palestine.

            Are other country names or geographical regions also not in keeping with the prestige of the Bundestag?

            Come one, you know you’re just feigning igorance here.

            • acargitz@lemmy.caEnglish
              22·
              2 days ago

              You’re missing the point, I’m not feigning ignorance, I’m challenging the hypocrisy.

              German politics have become so fucking toxic to pro-Palestinian advocacy that merely the mention of the word Palestine is considered a breach of decorum. The shirt did not say “Free Palestine”, a clearly political message, it merely said the name of the country. Do you not see that when the mere mention of Palestine is considered political you have crossed into extremely problematic territory? Do you not see that the symbolic erasure of the mere mention of Palestine as an entity that can be mentioned without controversy, is a kind of affirmation of the policy of erasure of an entire people, precisely at the moment when a genocide is happening? Do you not see why this is such an infuriating betrayal of what so many of us saw as a model democracy? I fucking love Germany, which is why it so fucking hurtful to see this.

              • remon@ani.socialEnglish
                3·
                2 days ago

                I’m challenging the hypocrisy.

                And I’m telling you there is none.

                Other members have been exeplled over simply wearing a hat or not wearing a tie in the past.

                Do you not see that when the mere mention of Palestine is considered political you have crossed into extremely problematic territory? Do you not see that the symbolic erasure of the mere mention of Palestine as an entity that can be mentioned without controversy, is a kind of affirmation of the policy of erasure of an entire people?

                No, because that’s not what’s happening.

                Do you not see why this is such an infuriating betrayal of what so many of us saw as a model democracy?

                No, I don’t.

                • acargitz@lemmy.caEnglish
                  21·
                  2 days ago

                  Do you not see why this is such an infuriating betrayal of what so many of us saw as a model democracy?

                  No.

                  Can’t make you see what you refuse to see I guess.

                  This is incredibly sad.