More Than 1,000 Protesters Demand Establishment of Islamic Caliphate in Germany

Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate during the launch event rally for the SPD European elections campaign in Hamburg, Germany, on April 27, 2024. Morris MacMatzen/Getty Images

More than 1,000 protesters gathered in Hamburg, Germany, over the weekend, with the leader of the group demanding the establishment of an Islamic caliphate in the European country.

A caliphate is a political-religious form of government under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of the caliph, or “successor of the prophet,” who is considered a high-ranking leader in the Muslim world.

According to local media reports and German authorities, the protest was organized by the leader of the extremist group Muslim Interaktiv. In several videos of the protest posted online, a speaker addressing a crowd can be heard describing the caliphate as a “system that provides security” that has been “demonized” by politicians and media in Germany.

The organizers claim that the rally was a protest against alleged Islamophobic policies of the German government and media disinformation campaigns against Muslims in Germany while reporting on the unfolding Israel–Hamas war.

“We will raise our voices together ... against Islamophobic reporting, both in recent weeks and in recent months,” a post on X said.

Muslim Interaktiv Linked to Designated Terrorist Group

Germany’s Federal Criminal Intelligence Service, or BKA, and Hamburg’s security services say Muslim Interaktiv is part of Hizb ut-Tahrir (“Party of Liberation”), a global Salafi Islamist movement with the goal of uniting the world under an Islamic caliphate and implementing sharia, or Islamic law.

Hizb ut-Tahrir, which was founded in Jerusalem in 1953, has been banned from operating in Germany since 2003. It is also banned in many Muslim-majority countries and faces resistance from the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, where it advocates for the reestablishment of a caliphate through nonmilitary means, according to the European Council on Foreign Relations.

The UK banned the group in January under its counterterrorism laws despite the group’s insistence it is a nonviolent political party. Extremism analyst Ghaffar Hussain disagreed with the designation. But he warned a forum in January that while he does not believe that Hizb ut-Tahrir is a terrorist group as its ideology does not directly rally members to commit acts of violence, the ideology does spread violent and anti-Semitic rhetoric and justifies and encourages violence and terrorism from other Islamist groups.

In his designation, UK Home Affairs Secretary James Cleverly cited risks of inciting violence and anti-Semitism during cease-fire protests for Gaza. The order designating Hizb ut-Tahrir a terrorist organization makes belonging to the group or inviting support for it a criminal offense. Offenders can potentially be hit with a prison sentence or a fine.

At the moment, there has been no suggestion that the Muslim Interaktiv’s demonstration in Germany broke the law, despite the Muslim Interaktiv group being classified by the intelligence services as extremist. In October 2023, shortly after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel and killed 1,200 people, Muslim Interaktiv held a similar protest that ended in clashes with police.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser of the left-wing Social Democratic Party said during an interview with local German media that police need to act if crimes are committed during political demonstrations.

“Seeing an Islamist demonstration of this kind on our streets is difficult to bear. It’s a good thing that the Hamburg police counteracted crime with a large presence,” she said.

“The red line at which Germany’s protection of the right of assembly and freedom of speech ended had to be clear. No terrorism propaganda for Hamas, no hate speech directed at Jews. If crimes like this occur, there has to be immediate and forceful intervention at demonstrations.”

Muslim Interaktiv followers are classed as “pop-Islamists,” and the increasing reach and influence among young people have been labeled as a concern by German authorities. According to Ms. Faeser, the group is being watched.

“Other groups that raise emotions, radicalize and recruit new Islamists are also being watched by our security authorities. This included the group at the Hamburg demonstration,” she said.

Melanie Sun contributed to this report.