NewsRescue
Thousands of protesters marched through Berlin on Saturday, calling for an end to Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza. Pro-Palestine demonstrations have been severely restricted by local authorities.
According to the DPA press agency, 6,000 people marched in Berlin, though some leftist groups involved in organising the rally claimed that more than five times that number attended.
RT video showed crowds holding Palestinian flags and placards reading “stop the genocide,” “how many kids have to die?” And it’s “ceasefire now.”
Following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, Berlin and other German cities banned all pro-Palestine demonstrations. Several illegal protests were held in Berlin, with 65 police officers injured and 174 protesters arrested in late October during a rally that turned violent in the city.
The ban has since been lifted, and authorised demonstrations are now permitted. Support for Hamas or other militant groups, as well as anti-Semitic or anti-Israel slogans, are prohibited at these officially sanctioned rallies. The glorification of violence and the burning of the Israeli flag are also prohibited under German federal law.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced a ban on all pro-Hamas activity on Thursday and dissolved the German branch of Samidoun, a group that organises pro-Palestine rallies in Europe and the United States. Faeser accused Samidoun of “jubilant celebrations” when Hamas militants launched an attack on Israel on October 7.
A group of over 100 German Jewish intellectuals has condemned the crackdown. In an open letter last month, the group accused police of using anti-Semitism as an excuse “to suppress legitimate and non-violent political expression, which may include criticism of Israel.”
Saturday’s rally was peaceful, with police reporting only one arrest: a woman accused of assaulting a journalist.