Germany issues political activity ban to former Greek finance minister

Germany on Saturday issued a political activity ban to former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, preventing him from visiting the country as well as from participation via Zoom.

Varoufakis said on X that "Germany's Interior Ministry has issued a 'Betätigungsverbot' against me, a ban on any political activity. Not just a ban on visiting Germany but also from participation via Zoom."

He was a participant in a three-day conference in Berlin on Friday to discuss issues pertaining to Palestine and the Middle East, but was interrupted by authorities before the scheduled address.

The speech, of which Varoufakis shared excerpts on his website, condemned the actions of both Israeli forces and Palestinian groups while advocating for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

He emphasized the need for dialogue and understanding between Jews and Palestinians, urging solidarity in the face of violence and oppression.

"Sadly, the whole of the German political system has decided not to allow this," he said.

"I say to them: You want to silence us. To ban us. To demonise us. To accuse us. You, therefore, leave us with no choice but to meet your ridiculous accusations with our own rational accusations. You chose this. Not us," he added.

German police cut the power and cancelled the final two days of the conference, which was supposed to take a critical look at the German military support for Israel's war in Gaza, according to the organizers.

In Germany, which is a staunch ally of Israel, the war in Gaza has stirred growing opposition as the Palestinian death toll has crossed 33,000.