German Chancellor Scholz says Islamist rally will be met with 'consequences'

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said that there will be “consequences” after a large Islamist rally in Hamburg raised alarm over the weekend.

More than 1,000 people demonstrated in the northern German city, with some holding posters calling for the imposition of Sharia law and the establishment of a caliphate.

The demonstration was linked to the "Muslim Interactive" group, which Germany's domestic intelligence services classify as an extremist organisation.

At a press conference alongside the prime minister of Montenegro, Scholz said, "It is quite clear that all Islamist activities must be tackled using the possibilities and options of our constitutional state."

He added that any criminal acts would be prosecuted.

Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser posted on X, formerly Twitter, that "anyone who wants a caliphate has come to the wrong place in Germany".

The protest comes as the German government faces criticism for failing to adequately protect Muslims and people perceived to be Muslims from discrimination, with Human Rights Watch says that Germany lacks a working definition on anti-Muslim racism.

“The German government’s failings in protecting Muslims from hatred and discrimination starts with a lack of understanding that Muslims experience racism and not simply faith-based hostility,” said Almaz Teffera, a researcher at the NGO.

“Without a clear understanding of anti-Muslim hate and discrimination in Germany and strong data on incidents and community outreach, a response by the German authorities will be ineffective.”

By end of September 2023, the government’s preliminary hate crime statistics for the year had counted 686 “anti-Islamic” crimes, surpassing the 610 recorded for all of 2022.