Anti-Israel group hoists Palestinian flag at Germany’s Reichstag; 3 arrested
Group called 'Peacefully Against Genocide' claims responsibility, was behind similar actions in the past; tens of thousands rally in Amsterdam to 'stop the genocide’
A man replaced the large German flag flying outside the Reichstag building in Berlin, which houses the German parliament, with a Palestinian flag on Sunday, the latest in a string of such incidents at European landmarks.
The man climbed a large pole, more than 28 meters (92 feet) high, to swap out the Flag of Unity, which symbolizes Germany’s 1990 reunification. The Palestinian flag remained atop the mast for about an hour until authorities were able to remove it.
The German publication Bild said the man and two accomplices were arrested.
Peacefully Against Genocide, a German anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian group, claimed responsibility for the action. It referenced the German government’s longstanding support for Israel.
“Today we raised the Palestinian flag in front of the German Bundestag,” the group wrote on Instagram, using the name of Germany’s parliament. “Governments worldwide do not act in the name of the people when they remain silent about, condone, or support the genocide in Palestine. We will call this genocide by its name, make it visible, and oppose it with our resistance.”
The group was also responsible for an incident a year ago that saw activists illegally scale the Brandenburg Gate, an iconic Berlin landmark, to display a banner reading, “Never again genocide. Freedom for Palestine,” and wave Palestinian flags. Video from the scene showed the activists chanting “Yalla, yalla, intifada.”
German police arrested three people in Berlin today after a man scaled the 30-metre flagpole outside the Reichstag, took down the German "Flag of Unity" and hoisted a Palestinian flag. Two accomplices filmed the climb. All three are suspected of insulting state symbols.… pic.twitter.com/nDnDJ5XuoG
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) November 8, 2026
The pro-Palestinian activists in that instance reached the top of the monument using a cherry picker. Police announced that 75 officers were deployed, and rescue climbers were utilized to detain the protesters. Six activists were detained for that action.
Elsewhere in Europe, activists have flown the Palestinian flag from Big Ben in London, and, alongside an Israeli flag, at the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Thousands in Amsterdam rally to ‘stop the genocide’
Meanwhile, on Sunday, tens of thousands of people dressed in red thronged the streets of Amsterdam to denounce ongoing violence in Gaza, carrying signs reading, “Stop the genocide.”
Organizers said some 200,000 people attended the “red line” protest, demanding that the Dutch government take action against Israel.
“Stop sending weapons to Israel,” one of the protesters, Steven Eisinger, a 33-year-old robotics engineer originally from the United States, told the AFP, wearing a red scarf around his neck.
“I’m Jewish myself, I have family that’s actually in Israel, living, and I wanted to really say, look, I support Palestine and I’m anti-genocide,” he said.
Israel denies charges that it committed genocide in Gaza, blaming Hamas for fighting from within civilian population centers and saying it takes efforts to avoid harming noncombatants. A fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into effect in October 2025, after two years of war triggered by the terror group’s deadly onslaught in Israel on October 7, 2023.
But an acute humanitarian crisis persists in the Gaza Strip, alongside regular Israeli strikes on Hamas targets, while settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has intensified.
Unlike other European countries such as France and Belgium, the Netherlands has not recognized the State of Palestine.
But at the end of September, the Dutch government banned products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which most of the world considers illegal under international law. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar revoked the accreditation of Dutch diplomats in response.
The Netherlands also has withdrawn from the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, with public broadcaster NPO citing the “sensitive” issue of Israel’s participation.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten attended a similar protest when he was a parliamentary candidate in 2025. On Friday, he told reporters that it would now be “inappropriate” for him to take part.