Ambassador Ina Lepel was interrupted during a session on disability rights and did not answer questions on Gaza
LAHORE:
Tensions erupted at the Asma Jahangir conference in Lahore on Sunday when a pro-Palestinian protester confronted the German ambassador over the country’s role in the Gaza conflict.
German Ambassador to Pakistan Ina Lepel was speaking at the 6th Asma Jahangir Conference in Lahore, which brought together lawyers, human rights activists and political figures who discussed issues related to fundamental rights, democracy, judicial independence and international law. The conference is a two-day forum organized in collaboration with the Supreme Court Bar Association and the Bar Council of Pakistan.
The ambassador was speaking at a session focused on the rights of people with disabilities.
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The attached video showed him interrupting Lepel as she was about to speak, accusing Germany of complicity in what he described as genocide in Gaza and linking Berlin’s arms exports to Israel to the mass mutilation of Palestinian children.
“Children have been disabled in Gaza because of weapons supplied by your country. Are you opposed to this genocide? Are you ashamed of your country’s role?” he declared during the session.
He added: “You have to answer this question before you start talking about genocide. … Yet more than 12,000 children have been disabled in Gaza because of weapons supplied by Germany. How do you expect us to hear about disabilities?”
The video shows that the ambassador refused to respond to the remarks while the moderator of the session asked the PSC chairman to wait until the end, but he refused and began chanting pro-Palestinian slogans before being asked to leave.
The group claimed that organizers “harassed the students” who asked the questions.
“It is highly hypocritical of the organizers to hold a ‘human rights conference,’ but they not only invite individuals from countries that have committed one of the worst human rights violations in Gaza by supporting Israel, but they also do not allow students to interview and hold these individuals accountable,” he said.
They have committed one of the worst human rights violations in Gaza by supporting Israel, but they also do not allow students to question and hold these individuals accountable.
– Progressive Student Collective (@PSCollective_) February 8, 2026
A released video shows a tense exchange of words between protesters and others, with the former defending their right to ask questions while accusing organizers of hypocrisy.
Academic Nida Kirmani expressed support for the group’s actions, saying “the contradictions of this system must be exposed” and that the conference should welcome such protests.
“Everyone knows that they operate under various constraints. Such protests allow deeper criticism to be expressed.”
I’m sure @AliAbdullahK_ & THE @PSCollective_on the side of ; the contradictions of this system must be exposed. Honestly, Asma Jahangir’s conference should welcome such protests. Everyone knows that they operate under various constraints. Such protests allow deeper critiques to be expressed.
-Nida Kirmani (@NidaKirmani) February 8, 2026
Germany’s role in the Gaza conflict is receiving increasing attention amid data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which shows that Germany provided around 30% of Israel’s arms imports between 2019 and 2023.
In 2023 alone, Germany approved 326.5 million euros in military exports to Israel, a tenfold increase from the previous year. Since 2003, Germany has exported more than 3.3 billion euros worth of military hardware to Israel, including naval assets that rights groups say have been used in operations affecting Gaza.
A similar incident occurred during the 2024 Asma Jahangir Conference, when Alfred Grannas, then the German ambassador, faced disruption while speaking on civil rights. Protesters questioned his presence at the rights forum, arguing that it was incongruous to give a speech on civil liberties while Germany supported Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Chants of “Free and Free Palestine” and “From the River to the Sea” filled the room, and Grannas told protesters that “screaming is not dialogue… if you want to shout, do it outside,” before organizers escorted them from the event.
Read: German envoy summoned for civil rights ‘conference’
The envoy’s comments were criticized at the time.
