Buchenwald Memorial - the site of the former German concentration camp - may refuse entry to people wearing a keffiyeh, the 3rd Senate of the Thuringian Higher Administrative Court ruled on Wednesday.
This comes after a visitor filed an expedited court application requesting she be allowed to wear a keffiyeh during her visit to the camp. She filled out the application ahead of her planned visit to the commemoration ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp in April.
The Memorial was consecrated on November 9, 1993, to honour the memory of the 75,000 Jews interned there, 11,800 of whom were murdered. The visitor aimed to take "a visible stand against supporting current Israeli policies," the court said.
However, the Senate found that "there is no question that this poses a threat to the sense of security of many Jews, especially on the respondent's premises."
It added, "Given the fact that the applicant is denied access to the memorial only to the extent that she is required to wear a specific item of clothing, the respondent's [Buchenwald] interest in ensuring the foundation's purpose outweighs the applicant's interest in freedom of expression, which is fundamentally protected under Article 5, Paragraph 1 of the Basic Law."
"The applicant herself states that by wearing the keffiyeh, she intends to convey a political message against what she considers the respondent's one-sided partisanship for the Israeli government's policies. The Senate held that the [memorial] need not accept this." The decision is final.
What are the rules and regulations for Buchenwald Memorial visitors?
The rules and regulations for visitors as found on the Buchenwald Memorial website clearly state that "Visitors are requested to wear clothing appropriate to the memorial" and that the site reserves the right to refuse persons entry to the memorial and/or to exclude them from participation in an event.
"This applies in particular to persons belonging to parties or organizations that have called or call public attention to themselves with anti-democratic, racist, or other comments contradictory to the foundation‘s purpose."
It also has a list of things that are prohibited through the site, including "events unrelated to the history of the historical site" and "the posting, carrying, or displaying of posters or banners (except the traditional banners of the survivors’ associations)."
These could all apply to wearing a keffiyeh.