A higher regional court in Zweibrücken, southwestern Germany, ruled that comparing Israel’s actions with Nazi rule is not a criminal offence. According to a report published earlier this week, the court acquitted a woman over Instagram posts that compared Israeli conduct with the Nazi era and included swastikas and Nazi party flags. The ruling gave priority to her right to freedom of expression.

The woman had posted a table comparing Nazi crimes with Israel’s actions in the Middle East conflict. The image included an Israeli flag on one side and a partly visible Nazi party flag with a swastika on the other. Another post showed a mural featuring a swastika inside a Star of David, with soldiers firing from above a wall and blood flowing beneath it.

The court said the offence involving the use of symbols of unconstitutional organisations did not apply because the symbols were used while sharply criticising measures taken by the Israeli state. A lower court in Ludwigshafen had previously fined the woman 2,400 euros on the same charge. The Zweibrücken court overturned that order on appeal.