BERLIN: Germany has completely banned Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement from carrying out activities on its soil, as police raided mosques and venues linked to the group.
Like the European Union, Germany had until now only outlawed Hezbollah’s military wing while allowing its political wing. The German interior ministry said it now considered the entire movement a “terrorist organisation” in a move welcomed by the United States and Israel.
“Hezbollah is a terrorist organisation deemed responsible for numerous attacks and kidnappings worldwide,” Interior Minister Horst Seehofer told a German daily.
The interior minister “has banned the operation of the group” in Germany with immediate effect, his spokesman tweeted. “Even in times of crisis the rule of law is upheld,” he wrote, adding that raids were taking place in several places across the country
Dozens of police and special forces stormed mosques and associations linked to Hezbollah in Bremen, Berlin, Dortmund and Muenster in the early hours of the morning, German media reported. The Al-Irshad mosque in Berlin was sealed off with masked police officers seen walking in and out of the mosque.
Although Hezbollah has no official presence in Germany, security forces estimate it has roughly a thousand members in the country. The United States and Israel have long designated Hezbollah as a terrorist group and urged allies to follow suit.
US ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell welcomed Berlin’s change in stance and called on all European Union member states to take similar action. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called it “a significant step in the global fight against terrorism.” He too urged the European Union to do the same.
Britain outlawed Hezbollah’s political wing last year, making membership of the Shiite movement or inviting support for it a crime. The decision followed outrage over the display of the Hezbollah flag, which features a Kalashnikov assault rifle, at pro-Palestinian demonstrations in London.
The mood began shifting in Germany too with parliament passing a resolution last December that urged the government to ban the group from operating in Germany altogether.
The interior ministry’s prohibition order means the group’s supporters are no longer allowed to display Hezbollah symbols or hold gatherings, and that funds can be frozen. Hezbollah sympathisers had in recent years waved their flag at the al-Quds rally controversially held in Berlin each year.
Hezbollah was established in 1982 during Lebanon’s civil war. It is now a major political party in the country, where it holds a majority in parliament along with its allies. Israel and Hezbollah also fought a 2006 war.
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