Germany Banned the anti-Israeli Movie “Valley of the Wolves: Palestine”

Germany banned the distribution of the anti-Israeli movie “Valley of the Wolves: Palestine,” which was supposed to premiere on January 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day. After the Turkish company appealed, the movie was limited to audiences 18 years old and older. Other European countries are considering banning the movie. The German Movie Control Association, a public committee responsible for assigning ratings to movies, banned the anti-Israeli Turkish movie “Valley of the Wolves: Palestine,” which was based on the events aboard the Mavi Marmara. The Turkish movie was distributed in Germany and was supposed to be released on January 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The Association apparently banned the movie because of its contents, not because of the timing.

The movie’s contents and release date were strongly criticized by many individuals and groups in Germany, including politicians from various political parties. Pana Films, the Turkish company that produced the film and distributed it in Germany, appealed the decision. The company called the German ban a “scandal” because German films are not subject to censorship and said the ban violated the rules of democracy and freedom of expression, and “trampled on conscience.” It added the movie was “standing up for innocent people [i.e., the Palestinians] in their struggle against fascist Zionist policy” (Islamigundem.com website, January 25,2011). According to the German media, the Association reversed its decision but the movie can be shown in Germany only to audiences at least 18 years old (Der Spiegel, January 27, year).
About three million Turks live in Germany today. Most of them arrived in the 1960s in search of work, and with their children and grandchildren form the country’s largest and most dominant ethnic minority. Many German cities have entire neighborhoods where most of the street signs are in Turkish and Turkish is the dominant language. The Turkish population is a major source of donations for the radical Islamist organizations operating in Turkey and an important target audience for anti-Israeli propaganda and incitement.
Under the headline “Europe is afraid of Valley of the Wolves” a Turkish website reported that following the German decision, other European countries were considering banning the movie. The site reported that it had already been banned in Switzerland and that Jewish groups in Austria demanded the movie not be shown. It also reported that in Holland, France and Britain it was limited to movie audiences 16 years old and older (Haksozhaber.net/news website, January 27, 2011).
The movie is another attempt to expose the Muslim population living in various European countries to extremist Islamist anti-Israeli (and occasionally anti-Semitic) and anti-Western propaganda and incitement. Organizations like Hamas, Hezbollah and IHH are aware of the great potential of those populations and they devote much effort to exposing them to their ideologies (through satellite television channels, the Internet and movies produced in Turkey and the Middle East).