DEFEND
Protecting the fundamental rights of advocates for Palestinian freedom
The ELSC provides legal advice and support to individuals and groups facing repression for standing in solidarity with Palestinian freedom. This includes grassroots activists, students, academics, civil society organisations, artists, and cultural institutions. Our approach is rooted in movement lawyering, which means that our work extends beyond individual casework. In every case we take on, we are accountable not only to the individual client but also to the broader movement in solidarity with Palestine. We combine monitoring, defensive strategies, impact litigation, training, and advocacy to build collective power, while ensuring that our strategies are informed by the political contexts the movement is operating within and that they directly contribute to movement goals.
Our Defensive Working Procedure.
In order to effectively defend Palestine advocates who are targeted and silenced for their work, the ELSC offers strategic free legal advice and support.
Working on a case-by-case basis, we advise those in need on their rights at national, regional, and international level. Where active litigation is required and the case fits our scope and areas of expertise, our in-house lawyers in Germany, England, the Netherlands or Italy will represent you. We also coordinate with a growing network of lawyers across Europe to ensure that everyone in the movement has access to the best possible legal advice, representation or referral. In cases that lie beyond our expertise or capacity, we will do our best to identify the right lawyer and experts with the relevant experience, and connect you, while ensuring ongoing collaboration.
Our work includes:
a) Conducting initial interviews with the client apprehending the needs and strategising the most suitable legal and non-legal remedies;
b) Laying down the statement of facts, compiling relevant documents, and introducing the case to the appropriate lawyer;
c) Developing a legal strategy together with clients and lawyers and preparing the case.
Most of our partner lawyers work pro bono or for minimal fees. However, when cases require litigation, which is a lengthy and complex process, this isn’t always possible. Your support can make a difference. Donate to our Legal Aid Fund to help ensure access to justice. For the time being, our capacity is still limited; thus, we are not always able to provide assistance and support to all prospective clients.
See more of our work >>
Expose
We monitor, document, and analyse repressive measures and practices against Palestine advocates across Europe. Our reports reveal systematic and institutionalised forms of repression, illuminating patterns across sectors and countries to strengthen solidarity.
CHALLENGE
Through legal strategies, litigation, investigative research, and advocacy efforts, we aim to dismantle the structures that protect corporations, financial entities, and political institutions from accountability for their role in enabling ethnic cleansing, settlement expansion, and military aggression in Palestine.
Latest Milestone Judgements & Cases
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06/18/2024Dutch Human Rights Board: Firing of IT Specialist from Gaza who Condemned Israel’s Crimes was Discrimination
DUTCH BELOW On June 11, 2024, the Human Rights Board, a state-sanctioned institution in the Netherlands that rules on discrimination cases, ruled that Dutch software company Speakap B.V. discriminated on the basis of political affiliation when it fired N.A. for posts on LinkedIn condemning Israel for committing genocide and war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza…. -
06/12/2024Berlin Administrative Court Rejects Urgent Application Against Further War Weapons Exports “Due to Lack of Current Arms Licenses to Israel”
Press release of the Berlin Lawyers’ Collective, 11.06.2024 (Deutsche Version unten) In its decision of 10.06.2024 (Az. VG 2 L 119/24), the Administrative Court of Berlin rejected the application of three Palestinians in Gaza for the denial of war weapons deliveries to Israel. The Administrative Court dismissed the application on the grounds that the Federal… -
06/05/2024The Case of Dr. Anna Younes: Solidarity Outshines Shortfall of Berlin Civil Court’s Ruling
Case update – Despite a negative ruling, solidarity persists and ELSC funding campaign covers all costs for the court case. In 2019, a secret dossier was created by RIAS Berlin and MBR aimed at misinforming the public about Dr. Younes’ work and opinion misrepresenting her as antisemitic and supportive of sexism and terrorism. The latter depictions… -
05/24/2024Erfolg für Palästina Aktivistin Yasemin Acar
ENGLISH BELOW Pressemitteilung – Berlin, 24. Mai 2024 Das Landgericht Berlin hat zugunsten Yasemin Acar gegen den Tagesspiegel entschieden. Das Gericht hat eine einstweilige Verfügung verhängt, welche die Tageszeitung mit Sitz in Berlin zwingt, gleich mehrere Falschbehauptungen über die Aktivistin zurückzunehmen und zukünftig zu unterlassen. Yasemin hatte mit Unterstützung der Rechtsanwältin Ingrid Yeboah und dem… -
05/15/2024VICTORY FOR DR GHASSAN ABU SITTAH: ELSC and ICJP overturn Schengen-wide travel ban
Berlin, May 15, 2024 Berlin, Administrative court Potsdam slams German Federal Police: Schengen-Information-System entry for Prof. Dr Ghassan Abu Sittah has no legal basis and is to be revoked immediately after an emergency appeal by ELSC lawyer Alexander Gorski with support from lawyers from the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP). This effectively ends…
Have you faced or witnessed repression related to solidarity with Palestine?
Palestine advocates face a wide range of repression, including: Censorship and surveillance • Demonstration bans and arrests • Disciplinary actions and workplace suspensions • Financial repercussions and banking restrictions • Repressive legislation like anti-BDS motions falsely labelling solidarity as antisemitic • harassment and intimidation • Threats to citizenship and immigration status