Berlin police said 500 officers were deployed on Saturday amid a spate of opposition protests in the German capital, some in a show of support for Israel and some for Palestinians and Lebanese. announced.
At the demonstration in front of Humboldt University in the city center, several protesters held Israeli flags and signs and placards showing support for Israel.
Berlin police were on hand at demonstrations across the city Image: Christian Mang/REUTERS
Nearby, a series of empty chairs are displayed with photographs of people taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th and who remain in captivity, with the words above each portrait written in German: “Kidnapped,” the caption read.
Rivals gather in other parts of Berlin
Elsewhere in the city, about 1,000 demonstrators called for an end to fighting in Gaza and Lebanon, many waving Palestinian flags and holding banners, some condemning Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza. There was also
Demonstrators gathered near the Cold War Berlin Airlift Memorial near Tempelhof Airport Image: Jörg Carstensen/dpa/picture Alliance
At one point, a scuffle broke out between police and pro-Palestinian demonstrators, news agencies reported.
Berlin police announced that participants in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the Kreuzberg district may face prosecution after reporting one case of “repeatedly chanting prohibited slogans.”
Senator Iris Spranger, the politician in charge of internal affairs in the city-state of Berlin, told dpa news agency that anything deemed anti-Semitic by German authorities would be prosecuted by police within days. More big events are planned for Sunday and Monday as the Oct. 7 anniversary approaches.
“My position is clear: hatred, slander and anti-Semitism have no place on the streets of Berlin,” Spranger told DPA. We called on them to express their activism peacefully, respectfully and non-violently.”
The Lebanese flag joined the Palestinian flag at several protests across Europe on Saturday, including one in Rome Image: Yara Nardi/REUTERS
Jewish group official says October 7th is not an appropriate day for pro-Palestinian protests
Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of German Jews, said in a newspaper interview on Saturday that some of the recent pro-Palestinian demonstrations were “a disaster” for German society.
He cited “scenes of celebration in the streets of Germany after Iran’s rocket attack on Israel” earlier this week, as well as Hamas’ “open protests of hatred against Israel around the anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attack.” “We are calling for action.”
Schuster told the RND network of newspapers on the anniversary that “anyone who has not been able to have even a modicum of empathy for Jews and Israelis will never be able to do so, and that person is in serious trouble.” I have a lot of problems,” he said.
Where is the Lebanese army as Israeli-Hezbollah trade takes a hit?
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Schuster said Germany’s open society, founded after World War II and the Holocaust, which begins with Article 1 of the Constitution, which states, “Human dignity is inalienable,” means that the rest of the country has no problem with this issue. He said that unless we are aware of this, we are at risk.
Felix Klein, the German government commissioner tasked with combating anti-Semitism, said that not only were anti-Semitic crimes rapidly increasing in Germany, but also that “hatred against Israel and anti-Semitic positions were being expressed. He said he was also monitoring the protests with caution.
Meanwhile, Reem Alabari-Radovan, the commissioner tasked with combating racism, said it was also unacceptable to subject Palestinians and their supporters to public suspicion.
She said anti-Semitism should not be tolerated in any protests, but “there also needs to be a place where people can point out the suffering of the people of Gaza and the region.”
The German government has also faced criticism, which some believe is rooted at least in part in 20th-century history, for excessive attempts to crack down and regulate anti-Semitism.
October 7: How the Hamas terrorist attack unfolded
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From Cape Town to Copenhagen — and other demonstrations around the world
On Saturday, people also took to the streets in countries including Denmark, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, France, Switzerland and Italy, most demanding an end to fighting in Gaza and Lebanon.
In Rome, police fired tear gas and water cannon after clashes broke out. Around 6,000 protesters defied the ban and marched through the city centre.
About 40,000 people took part in the National March for Palestine in central London, organizers said.
Police were also called out in large numbers after some demonstrators said they were planning to target businesses and facilities they saw as supporting Israel in the city centre, including the British Museum.
In London, counter-protesters waved Israeli flags as pro-Palestinian marchers passed by. Police said 15 people were arrested on the sidelines of the protests, but they did not say which group the people detained were from.
Simultaneous demonstrations were held in the Republic of Ireland’s capital, Dublin, with some calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden “war criminals.”
Some demonstrators in Dublin accused both Israeli and US leaders of being war criminals Image: Clodagh Kilcoyne/REUTERS
In Cape Town, participants marched towards the South African Parliament in a protest organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Similar demonstrations were held Saturday in other major European cities, including Stockholm, Copenhagen, Paris and Basel.
mm, msh/sms (AFP, DPA, Reuters)
