German student asked to leave India after joining student protests

24.12.2019

A German student will leave India after receiving "oral directions" from immigration authorities. He had participated in protests against legislation to expand citizenship for non-Muslim immigrants in India.

A German physics student told DW he was asked to leave India by immigration authorities on Monday due to his engagement with student protests in Chennai.

"After the Nazi era, many people claimed not to have known anything about genocides or atrocities or stated that they were only passive," said Jakob Lindenthal. "Therefore I see it as a duty to learn from these lessons and not only watch when things happen that one believes to be the stepping stones to a possibly very dangerous development."

Over the past week, hundreds of thousands of students across India have protested against a proposed law that would provide citizenship opportunities for non-Muslim migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Activists have called the bill discriminatory, saying it forms part of a government campaign aimed at disenfranchising Indian Muslims. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rejected such claims.

Read more: India's Modi isn't alone in blocking internet amid protests

02:11 mins. DW News | 17.12.2019 Police in India criticized for brutal response to protests

'We have been there'

In photos circulated by Indian media, Lindenthal held a placard equating the Indian government's practices with those of Nazi Germany. It read: "1933 to 1945 — we have been there."

"I felt the gratefulness of many people in the protest for the solidarity from a foreigner, so I wanted to give them at least my moral support again after having attended the protest march on the campus of IIT Madras," Lindenthal told DW.

When asked what he would do next, he said he would like "to return safely and without disturbance and celebrate Christmas with my family," then "consider possible options to return to India to continue my studies." He is still waiting to leave India for Germany.

"As a backup plan, which I deem the most likely to happen, I will return to TU Dresden and try to catch up with the courses of the winter semester, take the experience as a lesson and implement my understanding of it in my political activities for the Green Party of Germany."

'Solidarity'

ChintaBAR, a left-leaning student body at the IIT Madras in Chennai, voiced solidarity with Lindenthal in a post on Twitter.

"ChintaBAR extend solidarity and gratitude to Jakob Lindenthal, for being part of struggles to protect the rights of people in this country and his concern for humanity," it said.

The German Foreign Office told DW that the German Consulate General in Chennai was "in contact with the person concerned before his departure."

Read more: Opinion: India's new citizenship act is unconstitutional

Every evening, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.

2019: A year of protests, everywhere! Hong Kong's stability jolted Protests erupted across Hong Kong in June over the introduction of a bill to allow the extradition of fugitives to mainland China. The bill was withdrawn in September, but months later, protesters are still demanding full democracy for the territory and an inquiry into police violence. The rallies have regularly turned ugly and security forces have been accused of being too heavy-handed. 2019: A year of protests, everywhere! A million and more hit the streets The sheer size of the protest movement has put Hong Kong and Beijing's leaders on the back foot, amid accusations that China is undermining the territory's special status under the "one country, two systems" agreement. On occasions, more than a million people poured into the streets. Local elections in November saw a huge landslide for the pro-democracy camp. 2019: A year of protests, everywhere! Greta persists, the world listens Within months of schoolgirl Greta Thunberg's solo climate change protest outside the Swedish parliament, a new youth activist movement had grown into the millions. The Fridays for Future protests have unleashed more than 4,500 strikes across over 150 countries, including Germany. Thunberg's straightforward approach is credited with forcing several governments to declare a climate crisis. 2019: A year of protests, everywhere! Challenging religious discrimination in India India's Parliament passed legislation this month that offers amnesty to non-Muslim undocumented immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The move prompted nationwide protests complaining that the law discriminates on the basis of religion. Prime Minister Modi insisted the bill offers sanctuary to people fleeing persecution but many fear it will render Muslim immigrants stateless. 2019: A year of protests, everywhere! Iraqi says 'life is worse' since Saddam In October, Iraqis poured onto the streets to protest against corruption, unemployment and Iran's influence on the country's government. The demonstrations quickly turned violent, with some 460 people killed and 25,000 injured. Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi announced his resignation, fueling further anger over efforts to install an interim leadership, which protesters say is more of the same. 2019: A year of protests, everywhere! Fists of solidarity in Beirut Lebanon saw a similar outpouring of anger in October over plans to hike taxes on gasoline, tobacco and even WhatsApp phone calls. The protests quickly morphed into a wider condemnation of endemic state corruption and falling living standards. Despite Prime Minister Saad Hariri stepping down, protest leaders refused to meet with his interim successor and are demanding an establishment overhaul. 2019: A year of protests, everywhere! Iran fuel protests spread to 21 cities In November, Tehran was widely denounced for its crackdown on protests that erupted over fuel rationing and a 50% gasoline price hike. More than 200,000 people poured onto the streets of several cities and quickly turned riotous, prompting a strong response. The US State Department says more than one thousand people were killed during the bloodiest period in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. 2019: A year of protests, everywhere! Sudan revolution leaves power vacuum Months of civil disobedience led to the overthrow of Sudan's longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in April and threw the northeastern African country into a political crisis. Military and pro-democracy parties have since been fighting to secure power. Dozens of people were killed in the unrest. In August, the two sides signed a constitutional declaration to form a transitional government. 2019: A year of protests, everywhere! Latin America decries austerity Protests in Chile began just over two months ago, sparked by tensions over the country's political and economic system. Protesters are demanding an overhaul of the health, pension and education systems. Several Latin American nations saw similar protests in 2019, including Bolivia, Honduras and Venezuela, where attempts to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro peaked in May. 2019: A year of protests, everywhere! France shudders to a standstill France's yellow vest movement has proved a constant thorn in President Emmanuel Macron's side. The movement originated at the end of 2018 when drivers from rural areas complained about a planned fuel tax. It then morphed into a catch-all banner for very disparate groups of disaffected voters. By December, French unions were striking and on the streets again, this time over pension reforms. 2019: A year of protests, everywhere! Catalonia independence fight renewed After nine Catalan separatist leaders were jailed by Spain's Supreme Court, a new wave of anger erupted, paralyzing the regional capital, Barcelona. Protests — which at one point involved half a million people — turned violent for six nights in a row. The general strike and accompanying unrest stopped transport and car production, even forcing the postponement of a Barcelona vs. Real Madrid match.

1 | 11 Show Caption

Lewis Sanders IV