Calls for EU to List Samidoun as a Terrorist Organization
A recent conference at the European Parliament, hosted by MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen on March 5, concluded that the European Union should designate Samidoun Palestinian Prisoners Solidarity Network as a terrorist entity and add it to the EU Terrorist List. The event featured testimonies from multiple experts analyzing Samidoun’s activities and affiliations.
International Terror Designations
Several countries have already classified Samidoun as a terrorist organization, including Canada (2024), Israel (2021), the Netherlands (2024), and the United States (2024). The conference emphasized that the EU should join these nations in recognizing the threat posed by Samidoun and take appropriate legal action.
Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project, provided insights into Samidoun’s operations in Germany, where authorities imposed administrative bans on the group in 2023.
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Samidoun’s Activities in Germany
Before its official ban in November 2023, Samidoun Germany was active in mobilization, propaganda, and fundraising, with strong links to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)—itself designated as a terrorist organization by the EU since 2002. One of Samidoun’s founders, Khaled Barakat, is known as a senior PFLP operative.
Samidoun organized both online and offline meetings, demonstrations, and fundraising initiatives. German security agencies observed the group due to its propaganda denying Israel’s existence and promoting violence.
Despite having only around 100 identified active supporters, the group was able to mobilize a much larger network, with activities extending into left-wing extremist circles.
Involvement in Protests and Unrest
Following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Samidoun intensified its mobilization efforts, leading protests in Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia. Many of these demonstrations escalated into violent clashes with police and included calls for Israel’s destruction.
German authorities had been cracking down on Samidoun prior to the official ban. In 2019, Khaled Barakat was barred from attending events in Germany, and in 2020, he was deported and banned from re-entering the country for four years. Moreover, the left-wing extremist group Rote Hilfe was found to be facilitating financial transactions for Samidoun.
Following Germany’s ban on Samidoun and its affiliate Palestine Youth Mobilization Hirak e.V., the group’s activities and pro-Palestinian demonstrations decreased significantly in the country.
Global Operations
Samidoun operates in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Spain, Palestine, and Lebanon, among other locations. Debates about banning the group are ongoing in several of these countries.
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Germany’s Administrative Ban on Samidoun
In Germany, authorities can impose bans on organizations that systematically undermine constitutional principles, incite violence, or threaten state security. Samidoun fell under this category due to its radical rhetoric and advocacy for Israel’s destruction.
Key consequences of the November 2023 ban included:
– Asset Seizures: All financial and material assets were confiscated.
– Social Media Restrictions: Samidoun’s online presence was outlawed, forcing platforms to shut down its accounts.
– Prohibition on Symbols: Public display of Samidoun-affiliated slogans, such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, became a criminal offense.
However, while the German ban severely limited Samidoun’s operations, it did not classify the group as a terrorist entity. For inclusion in the EU Terrorist List, a legal conviction on terrorism charges is required in at least one EU member state, which had not yet occurred at the time of the ban.
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MEPs Push for Samidoun’s EU Terrorist Designation
On October 17, 2023, MEP Assita Kanko (Belgium, ECR party) formally questioned the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs on whether the Commission would propose adding Samidoun to the EU Terrorist List.
She cited Samidoun’s celebration of Hamas’ attacks, anti-Semitic propaganda, and the group’s illegal demonstrations in Belgium, where Samidoun’s European coordinator Mohammed Khatib defended Hamas’ actions as “justified resistance.”
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