German Court: Comparing Israel to Nazi Regime is Not a Criminal Offence

A court in Germany has ruled that comparing Israel to the Nazi regime is not a criminal offence, as reported by Anadolu Ahad (2/8/2026), citing an online legal website. The case involved several Instagram posts from a single account that compared the actions of the State of Israel to the methods of the Nazi regime, utilising swastika symbols and Nazi flags in the comparison.

Invoking the account owner’s right to freedom of expression, a high court in the city of Zweibrücken decided that the defendant did not commit a criminal offence. According to the court, the criminal offence of using symbols from a prohibited organisation is not met if an individual uses them to sharply criticise the methods of the State of Israel and thereby distances themselves from or condemns the injustices of the Nazi era.

In the posts in question, the account owner uploaded an image of a table in their story comparing Nazi actions with Israeli actions in the Middle East. Above this, there was a separate image showing the Israeli flag on one side and the Nazi Party flag (with part of the swastika logo visible) on the other.

Another post showed a wall featuring the Star of David, with a Nazi swastika in the centre. Soldiers were depicted firing bullets from the wall beyond the boundary area, accompanied by an image of blood flowing from within the wall. The uploader also included the hashtags #freepalestine and #gazaunderattack.

Previously, a lower court had sentenced the defendant, a woman, to a fine of 2,400 euros (approximately 2,768 US dollars) for the criminal use of symbols from a prohibited organisation. In its appeal decision, the Zweibrücken court overturned that verdict.