How German football is responding to Israel-Hamas conflict

The name of the street which leads up to the MEWA Arena, the home stadium of Bundesliga side Mainz 05, is a history lesson in itself: "Eugen-Salomon-Strasse."

Born in 1888, Eugen Salomon was a young footballer and founder member of Mainz's predecessor club in 1905, becoming its first chairman aged just 17. Salomon was also Jewish and, as such, was stripped of his club functions by the Nazis in 1933 before fleeing with his family to France. From there, he was ultimately deported to Auschwitz and murdered in November 1942.

The story is important because it goes a long way to explaining why Mainz 05 this week decided to suspend Dutch forward Anwar El Ghazi for an Instagram post regarding the current conflict in the Middle East.

In it, the 28-year-old, who only joined the club this summer, had expressed his solidarity with the Palestinian people, over 4,600 of whom, many children, have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip following a deadly terrorist attack by Hamas militants on Israel on October 7.

But he also wrote the sentence: "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." The phrase is considered by many legal experts in Germany to constitute an approval of a crime under paragraph 140 of the German Criminal Code in that it can be interpreted as a demand for the region between the River Jordan and Mediterranean Sea to be free of the Jewish state of Israel – an interpretation disputed by some Palestinian groups.

In Berlin, state prosecutors have even launched an investigation into the phrase as potential "hate speech" under paragraph 130 of the penal code after it was chanted at several pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the city.

During his visit to Israel last week, German chancellor Olaf Scholz affirmed that the existence of Israel is Germany's "reason of state," reiterating the country's responsibility for the murder of over 6 million Jews during the Holocaust.

Among them, Eugen Salomon of Mainz. In a statement, Mainz 05 said it "respects the different perspectives in the complex, decade-long conflict in the Middle East," but said that El Ghazi's position on the issue "was not compatible with the values of our club."

Mainz: support for El Ghazi suspension

And despite the team's current sporting crisis – the 3-1 defeat to Bayern extended their winless run to 12 Bundesliga games stretching back to last season and left them bottom of the league – there is broad support for the decision in Mainz.

"It's not ideal because we specifically signed [El Ghazi] in the summer, but I also stand behind the decision," said Danish head coach Bo Svensson. "I think we've done the right thing."

After the post on the club's official account on X, formerly Twitter, announcing El Ghazi's suspension on October 17 attracted over 9,400 replies, the majority pro-Palestinian with seemingly no previous allegiance to Mainz 05, the club turned the reply function off. The club's Instagram account is still inaccessible.

"It's difficult to judge comments made online because they come from people whose connection to Mainz 05 is actually unclear," explained Mara Pfeiffer, a Mainz-based journalist and author who has reported on the club for years. "There's also often a stark difference of opinion between those fans at home on the sofa and those in the stadium."

Indeed, in numerous conversations outside the MEWA Arena on Saturday, DW heard unanimous support for the club's decision, with many fans referring – unprompted – to club founder Salomon.

"We're stood at the end of Eugen-Salomon-Strasse," said Margit. "Freedom of speech is important but not when it's anti-Semitic. So when I hear that phrase, 'from the river to the sea,' that means that everything in between shouldn't be there. And I can't countenance that."

Another fan, Andreas, agreed, saying: "It was an important decision especially given the historical context and the fact that one of our club founders was a Mainz Jew who was murdered. So I can't tolerate that phrase."

Inside the stadium, a moment's silence was held for the victims of the conflict, during which Mainz's hardcore ultras held up banners expressing "solidarity with all victims of Islamism and anti-Semitism" and condemning the "anti-Semitic terror of Hamas" – but also demanding "peace for the people of Gaza!"

"The active fan scene in Mainz has always taken a pro-peace position on such issues and, from my perspective, is aware of the nuance here as well," explained Pfeiffer. "That means not taking this side or that side, but rather being on the side of peace, of the civilians, of those opposing war. That nuance isn't always a given."

Criticism of Bayern Munich stance on Mazraoui

But not all clubs have responded in the same way as Mainz.

In the most prominent case, Bayern Munich have refrained from punishing Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui after he posted a similar pro-Palestinian message on Instagram.

After holding "a detailed and clarifying conversation" with Mazraoui in the week, Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen said the club "condemns Hamas' attack on Israel" and insisted: "Noussair has credibly assured us that as a peace-loving person he resolutely rejects terror and war and he never meant to cause any irritation with his posts."

Mazraoui himself is quoted as saying: "I condemn all terrorism and terrorist organizations."

But for Alon Meyer, the president of Makkabi Deutschland, the umbrella organization for Jewish sports clubs in Germany with over 6,500 members, Mazraoui's response was unsatisfactory.

"Not a single mention of the massacre," he said on ZDF Sportstudio on Saturday night. "Not a single expression of condolence. Not a single mention of the state of Israel – maybe, perhaps, because he doesn't recognize it. No single word of apology. And no condemnation of Hamas. What does that tell you?"

In recent years, many Bundesliga clubs have adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism, including Bayern Munich. In cooperation with fan groups, Bayern have also worked to promote the legacy of Kurt Landauer, a Jewish former club president who fled the Nazis in the 1930s. 

"Bayern have done a lot of good work and have worked closely with the Jewish community and the state of Israel, but what's the point if their elite players post things like this?" said Meyer. "It undermines our daily work to build bridges and break down stereotypes."

The Central Council of Jews in Germany (ZRJ) concurred that Mazraoui's personal remarks were unsatisfactory, but described Bayern Munich's decision as "appropriate given the clear stance the club has always shown."

The case has been made even more controversial given that one of Mazraoui's teammates, reserve goalkeeper Daniel Peretz, is the only Israeli player in the Bundesliga.

In an Instagram video last week, the Israel U21 international called on "all athletes and sports organizations" to stand together. "Let us fight evil together," he said. During the moment's silence in Mainz on Saturday, Peretz looked visibly emotional.

No statement has yet come from Bayern Munich's supporters, who have regularly positioned themselves clearly against anti-Semitism and have embraced their club's Jewish heritage. That may change when Bayern play Darmstadt at home next Saturday.

Mainz fans: a lesson from history

Elsewhere in Germany this weekend, Freiburg supporters highlighted a Molotov cocktail attack on a synagogue in Berlin and cases of Stars of David being daubed outside Jewish homes with a banner reading: "'Never again' is now. Against all anti-Semitism."

The reason for that stance, and indeed for Germany's acute sensitivity when it comes to the potential of expressions of support for the Palestinian cause to slip into anti-Semitism more generally, can be found on Eugen-Salomon-Strasse in Mainz.

"You have to be so careful because [such sentiments] lead to expulsion and war," said Mainz fan Margit outside the stadium on Saturday. "History teaches us that."

Edited by Michael Da Silva and Felix Tamsut