‘We Jews are just arrested; Palestinians are beaten’: Protesters in Germany

It's not unwitting at all.

Germany has what's called "Erinnerungskultur", or 'Culture of Memory/Remembrance', the result of which is their famous legal enshrinement of remembrance of the Holocaust, and banning of antisemitism. It's not universal, it is uniquely targeted at Jews and Israel. The term "Staatsräson", or "Reason of State" (i.e. reason for the State existing) refers to the literal belief that Germany should only be allowed to exist contingent on its protection of Israel.

That's not hyperbole. Merkel told the Knesset in 2008:

This historical responsibility of Germany is part of the reason of the state of my country.

After Oct 7, Scholz repeated that:

"At this moment there is only one place for Germany - the place on the side of Israel. This is what we mean when we say, 'Israel's security is the German reason of state'."

It's not their job, in their mind, to prevent another Holocaust, just to protect Israel. If Israel is the one doing it, they'll defend them no matter what.

It is a guilt-created mindset which has evolved over the years in order to allow "acceptable" racism and other-isms back in, or even mandating them, such as surveillance of Muslim immigrants, under the justification that they may 'import' antisemitism.

https://www.euronews.com/2024/02/16/has-the-israel-hamas-war-fuelled-political-polarisation-in-germany

Friedrich Merz, the leader of the opposition CDU party, said, “Germany cannot take in any more refugees from Gaza. We have enough antisemitic young men in the country".

In December the conservative State of Saxony-Anhalt passed a decree requiring those applying for German citizenship to recognise the State of Israel.

Germany allows Israel to directly dictate their definition of antisemitism, which of course means that they have basically outlawed any pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

This is all very well understood by them for what it is (Islamophobia and racism), but they don't have a legal duty to suppress those, just antisemitism. On the contrary, there is quite a LOT of enthusiasm for Islamophobia in Germany. I was visiting my grandmother in Munich a few years ago, and in Marienplatz there was a big display set up that said 'Stop letting in terrorists', somewhat ironically right alongside a group talking about China's oppression of Uyghurs (which China often justifies by claiming that Uyghurs engage in terrorism).

It's very depressing stuff.