German MP Cansin Köktürk, from the left-wing party Die Linke, was expelled from the Bundestag chamber on Wednesday, June 4, for wearing a shirt with the word “Palestine” on it. The President of the Parliament, Julia Klöckner, of the governing Christian Democrats (CDU), said the shirt was an explicit political statement, which contravenes parliamentary rules.
During the session, Klöckner reminded the MP that “neither stickers nor any other forms of statement on T-shirts should have a place in the plenary.” She explained that Köktürk had already refused to remove the shirt after being asked. Klöckner therefore asked her to leave the chamber.
This is not the first clothing-related controversy in the Bundestag. In 2017, a teenage school visitor was asked to cover her hoodie, which said “Refugees Welcome.” In 2009, a student was stopped for wearing a T-shirt that read “Make love, not war.” MP Marcel Bauer was also expelled twice from plenary sessions for refusing to remove a black beret.
This is not the first time Köktürk has sparked controversy. On her first day as an MP, in March 2025, she entered the chamber wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh. Members of the conservative CDU group formally called for a ban on such symbols within the chamber.
The incident occurred during a particularly tense session in which Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) defended the continued export of arms to Israel. While acknowledging the need to review such decisions in light of humanitarian law, he reaffirmed Berlin’s commitment to the defense of the Israeli state.
As Köktürk was being expelled, a woman in the visitors’ gallery interrupted the minister’s speech by shouting slogans such as “Free Palestine” and “Blood on your hands.” She was swiftly removed by parliamentary security.
Germany is not the only European country to have experienced similar tensions within its national parliament. In Sweden, MP Lorena Delgado Varas, from the Swedish Left Party, was suspended for sharing content considered antisemitic on social media and repeatedly disobeying parliamentary rules by wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh. The Speaker of the Swedish Parliament had previously warned her about this conduct.
