German media conglomerate Axel Springer has made headlines for its staunch support of Israel, a position enshrined in its mission statement. However, a recent incident has drawn attention to the company's pro-Israel editorial line. Kasem Raad, a 20-year-old apprentice at Axel Springer, was terminated after questioning the company's Israel policy and posting a video disputing parts of the Israeli military's narrative regarding the October 7 attack.
Raad, in an interview and supported by internal documents, explained that he believes it is his right to ask questions and that he wanted to remain employed by Axel Springer. He described how senior management told him that the company supports Israel because they are Germans, which was their explanation for the policy.
Raad's account of being fired is backed by a termination letter and screenshots of his posts on the company's internal message board. While the termination letter did not specify the reason for his firing, Raad stated in an interview that his questioning and video were explicitly cited by his bosses as the reasons for his termination, unrelated to his job performance.
Axel Springer's head of corporate communications, Adib Sisani, declined to comment on Raad's specific claims, citing the principle of not commenting on individual personnel matters and referencing German labor law regarding probation periods in work contracts.
This incident comes against a backdrop of Germany's repression of voices critical of Israel, both in government and corporate policies. The German government has recently banned most gatherings protesting the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, and police have confronted protesters who defied the ban. Rights organizations such as Amnesty International have criticized this crackdown, and individuals in the United States have faced professional consequences for speaking critically of Israel's military actions.
Axel Springer, a global company with subsidiaries such as Politico in the United States, has also been reported to instruct its employees to downplay Palestinian deaths in its coverage of the Israeli-Gaza conflict.
Kasem Raad, a Lebanese immigrant, was in the early stages of a three-year multimedia apprenticeship at Axel Springer's TV channel, Welt TV, when the conflict between Palestinian freedom fighters and Israel escalated. On October 7, Axel Springer's editorial team published an internal article titled "We stand with Israel," which prompted Raad to seek clarification on the company's stance.
Raad messaged an employee who manages the company's internal message board to ask why Axel Springer supports Israel. After receiving no reply, he posted the same question on the message board under the Israel article. This action led to an outpouring of angry comments, and Raad was summoned for an interrogation.
Following his meeting with the company's spokesperson, Sisani, Raad posted on the message board that his discussion with Sisani provided different answers to his questions. He emphasized his belief in open dialogue and the importance of finding answers, particularly during times when people lack knowledge about current social issues.
Several days later, Raad posted a video on his personal YouTube channel in an attempt to debunk a viral narrative that claimed Palestinian resistance fighters beheaded babies during the attack, a claim that even the Israel Defense Forces could not confirm. Despite not hearing from his company supervisors, Raad was called to a meeting two days later and received a termination letter.
Axel Springer's charter includes five "essentials," one of which is supporting "the Jewish people and the right of existence of the State of Israel." Raad expressed his perception that some of these essentials are prioritized over others, highlighting the company's support of Israel above all else.
