UN expert Francesca Albanese reveals how German authorities threatened her with arrest and used “mafia-style tactics” to silence discussions on Palestine.
UN Special Rapporteur on Occupied Palestine, Francesca Albanese, recounted the details of her recent experience in Germany during an exclusive interview with the Palestine Chronicle’s FloodGate Podcast on Thursday.
On February 18, German police surrounded an event in Berlin featuring Albanese, following intense political and legal pressure that forced organizers to relocate twice to increasingly smaller venues.
Originally scheduled to take place at the Freie Universität Berlin, the event was first moved under pressure, then relocated again after additional pushback.
Albanese described the situation as part of a wider crackdown on free speech in Germany, particularly concerning Palestine.
She revealed that she faced threats of arrest, harassment, and intimidation from German authorities for speaking about Israeli genocide and settler colonialism.
“I’ve been threatened with arrest, and it’s been so stressful because I’ve never been threatened with arrest. I’m a lawyer. I shouldn’t be in this situation,” she said, adding that she only avoided detention due to her diplomatic immunity as a UN official.
Despite her role as a UN expert, Albanese found herself under extraordinary pressure, including interventions by German politicians and the Israeli ambassador, aiming to block her from speaking at universities.
Albanese compared her situation to that of UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett, who has traveled to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan three times without facing such threats.
“The reason why (the arrest) didn’t happen is that the United Nations made it clear that I have privileges and immunities in the exercise of my functions, and Germany would have set such a negative precedent,” she explained.
‘Mafia-Style Tactics’
Albanese described how German authorities used coercive tactics to block her events — a pressure campaign she likened to “mafia-style tactics.”
“This is not just censorship. This is intimidation. It’s harassment. It’s mafia-style tactics,” she said.
“What kind of democracy is this when the police go around intimidating venues and organizers just because someone dares to talk about Palestine?” she asked.
‘Beyond Moral Crisis’
Beyond her personal ordeal, Albanese addressed Germany’s deepening moral crisis regarding its unwavering support for Israel.
“I think that we are already beyond the moral crisis. There is an embrace between Israel and Germany. While humanly I understand part of it, I also find it sickening. It’s not a healthy embrace,” she said.
According to Albanese, this political alignment has led to widespread repression of pro-Palestinian voices in Germany. She noted that for months, police had been detaining, harassing, and even beating people who stood in solidarity with Palestine.
“The result is that no one today—not even think tanks, civil society, human rights organizations, or even academics—wants to speak out,” she warned.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
