Germany witnessed a mass demonstration on 20 July 2025 marking the first anniversary of a government ban on several Shia mosques and religious centres. The protest took place in Hamburg, where demonstrators called for the reopening of these mosques and demanded protection of religious freedom  .

In July 2024, German authorities banned the Islamic Centre Hamburg—also known as the Imam Ali (AS) Mosque or “Blue Mosque”—alongside its national affiliates, accusing it of spreading extremism, antisemitism, and supporting Hezbollah  . Police executed raids across 53 properties in eight federal states, including Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, and Frankfurt, and ordered the closure of four Shia mosques across the country.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stated the Islamic Centre promoted an “Islamist‑extremist, totalitarian ideology” and acted as a representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader, aiming to instigate an Islamic revolution in Germany. She emphasised that the measures targeted extremist activities, not religious practice, stating: “This ban absolutely does not apply to the peaceful practice of the Shiite religion”  .

The raids and ban led to condemnation from Iranian authorities, who denounced the move as a case of Islamophobia and summoned Germany’s ambassador to Tehran  . Investigative agencies had monitored the centre since as early as 1993 and formally designated it in 2017 as linked to the Iranian regime  .

Supporters of the banned centres have since organised protests in multiple cities, including a prayer demonstration in Frankfurt, where hundreds gathered outside a closed mosque earlier in September  . But the anniversary mass protest in Hamburg focused squarely on the closure of the Blue Mosque, signalling ongoing discontent among Shia Muslim communities in Germany and highlighting demands for restoration of religious rights.