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Pro-Palestinian demonstration in Berlin
Photo: IMAGO/Emmanuele Contini
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Germany have recently seen an increase in anti-Semitic slogans and crimes. In Berlin, around 15,6000 people had gathered for a rally until <> p.m. on Saturday, according to police. Many carried Palestine flags and placards with inscriptions such as "Stop the genocide in Gaza" or "From the river to the sea – we demand equality".
One speaker called for an end to the "apartheid culture" and an end to the bombing of Gaza. The police checked the personal details of individual participants. Some posters that had violated the conditions had been painted over or taken down.
The demonstration takes place under strict conditions. Head of Operations Stephan Katte emphasized in advance that even those who deny Israel's right to exist are committing a crime that will be punished immediately. "Repeated committing such crimes can lead to the dissolution of an assembly very early," Katte said.
According to the police, any statements that are anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and glorify violence or terror are prohibited. "We assume that the majority of the participants will bring peaceful protest to the streets," said Dierschke. However, the police expect isolated violations.
The protest march has been called by several pro-Palestinian groups nationwide. "Many from the left-wing political spectrum, who have already called for a 'revolutionary May Day demonstration' this year," the police said, had also mobilized.
Criminal proceedings for Holocaust relativization and incitement to hatred
Many people also demonstrated in Düsseldorf. The registered number of participants of 1000 was exceeded several times, the police said. Before the start of the trial, the police seized several posters on which the Holocaust was relativized. There will be criminal proceedings against this. The police announced to the participants a low-threshold and consistent intervention in the event of criminal offences.
In Duisburg, less than a hundred people took part in a pro-Palestinian rally in front of the main train station. The police filed three criminal complaints against participants for incitement to hatred and approval of crimes. In Münster, about 250 people took to the streets for the rights of the Palestinians. In the afternoon, the police spoke of a peaceful course. The procession led from the main train station to the city centre.
After a rally registered as a pro-Palestine demonstration on Friday evening in Essen with around 3000,<> people, the police are examining the events for criminal relevance. The rally also featured banners with Islamist content and in Arabic, including calls for the establishment of a caliphate. Participants had also shown the raised index finger, which is considered a gesture of the radical Islamists. You can find out more about this here.
On October 7, Islamists from Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, and other terrorists in Israel carried out a massacre of civilians. Since then, Israel's army has been carrying out air strikes and ground troops against targets in the sealed coastal area.
svs/dpa