Berlin police break up banned pro-Palestinian rally

German police and courts responded in different manners to a series of protests and demonstrations showing solidarity with Palestinians over the weekend, with some forbidden and others allowed to go ahead. 

In the German capital Berlin, police on Sunday evening appealed online to people not to come to a planned "vigil" for people in Gaza at Potsdamer Platz in the city center, saying it had been prohibited "because in this case it is a replacement-event for an already banned demonstration."

In a later update, police explained more on their reasoning for the restrictions. 

"More and more participants with flags and pro-Palestinian symbols were flocking to the gathering, originally planned as a vigil, which the organizer had said was neither desired nor planned when in prior collaborative talks," Berlin police wrote on social media. "As a result of the considerable number of people with pro-Palestinian symbols arriving, the replacement event was forbidden even before it had formally begun."

"People were asked by our officers to leave. After they at first refused to leave the area, the situation has since calmed." 

A police spokesman told the AFP news agency that roughly 1,000 people had come. Images from the scene appeared to show at least isolated incidents of police using force. 

After spontaneous scenes of celebration broke out among some Palestinians in the Berlin district of Neukölln in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas terror attacks on Israel last Saturday, Berlin authorities had banned any further gatherings out of fear of further expression of extremist sentiment.

Demos also banned in Frankfurt, but allowed in Cologne and Düsseldorf

In Frankfurt, after a pro-Palestinian demonstration was prohibited on Saturday by local courts, participants who did turn up were ordered to leave the city's central Opernplatz by police.

In Cologne, a regional court overturned a ban on a pro-Palestinian demonstration after a last-minute appeal by the organizer, a member of a Palestinian community group in the city. Police had initially argued that it would be taking place too close to a pro-Israel demonstration on the city's central Heumarkt square, thus presenting an increased security risk, an argument the court didn't accept.

In the end, around 250 people attended the pro-Palestinian demonstration, while around 350 people attended the pro-Israel gathering on the other side of the square, according to the local Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper. Local police chief Falk Schnabel called on all demonstrators to be considerate, and no issues were reported.

In nearby Düsseldorf, a demonstration with the title "Free Palestine" was officially declared for 50 participants on Saturday afternoon. According to local police, around 700 people turned up, but no incidents were reported.

Politicians try to stress sensitivity of issue in post-war Germany

The issue of demonstrations in support of Palestinians has been highly visible in many European countries since Israel launched relaliatory airstrikes on Gaza after the militant Islamist group Hamas, which rules the strip, attacked Israel on October 7 killing some 1,300 Israelis as well as foreign nationals. In Germany, the issue has been particularly sensitive and met with a relatively hard line by politicians of all stripes. 

Deputy Chancellor Robert Habeck tried to describe these issues at some length in a speech released online late on Friday that gathered traction over the weekend.

Habeck's personal video message, addressed at first to Israelis, promised them "we stand at your side, and we have forgotten nothing," an apparent reference to Germany's role in the Holocaust and its post-war guarantee of Israel's security. 

Habeck went on to explain how on his first trip to Israel after joining the government, he had seen a striking painting, asked what it was, and was told it depicted Nazi soldiers making people dig their own mass grave at Babi Yar in what's now Ukraine.

"These acts, these places, they are the reason we have a historic responsibility, the obligation imposed by our history, to protect Jewish life — in our own country and around the world," he said. 

Habeck went on to effectively appeal to people in Germany to keep this in mind if planning to publically show their support for the Palestinian cause in public. 

"But it is disgusting that in this country, in Berlin and elsewhere, on the streets and online, there are people celebrating terror, rejoicing in the murder of Jews," he said. "More than that, I find it shameful. And we must be totally clear here: there is no place for antisemitism on German streets." 

Interior minister warns that Hamas support liable to lead to expulsion

Since the Hamas attacks last weekend, many Jews in Germany have reported feeling concerned for their safety, and police protection of Jewish institutions has been increased.

"It is horrible that many families are so worried," Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper, assuring the country's Jewish community of additional protection. "The message is more important than ever: we stand firmly by your side! We will do everything to protect you."

She added that the government would "use all legal means to deport Hamas supporters." 

The conservative opposition have expressed support for the government position. Alexander Dobrindt of Bavaria's Christian Democrats (CSU), for example, demanded "a rock-hard crackdown on hatred of Jews and Israel." He said that an acknowledgement of Israel's right to exist should be a pre-requisite for gaining asylum in Germany.

mf, msh/lo (dpa, AP, AFP)

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