Violent Berlin protest against Israel broken up by police
About 1,000 demonstrators, most of them Palestinian, hold unregistered march Saturday protesting Operation Protective Edge
Police in Berlin say about 1,000 demonstrators, most of them Palestinian, held an unregistered march protesting Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Up to ten demonstrators were arrested for breach of the peace and for trying to forcibly free others already arrested in Saturday’s melee, a police spokesperson said. Rocks were thrown during the disturbance and a police officer was struck but not injured.
Demonstrations in Berlin require a police permit.
The demonstrators initially tried unsuccessfully to enter the “Fan Mile,” where tens of thousands of soccer fans have been gathering to watch World Cup games on big screens over the past few weeks.
Pushed back by police, the demonstrators – who according to the spokesperson were aggressive and chanting – proceeded up one of Berlin’s main avenues near Potsdamer Platz. Facing a major police response, the demonstrators – at that point led by someone who tried to calm them, the spokesperson said – gradually broke up.
German police also said they allowed an anti-Israel protester to use a megaphone in a police car during a “Free Gaza” demonstration in Frankfurt and he shouted inciting slogans including “child murderer Israel” and “Allahu akbar.”
Frankfurt police spokeswoman Virginie Wegner said Sunday they let the protester use the megaphone because the demonstration had turned violent and he had offered them to calm down the situation.
But instead of doing that, he shouted anti-Israel slogans. A video shows a crowd following the police car during Saturday’s protest and repeating the chants blaring over the megaphone, which also included “Free Gaza.”
It wasn’t immediately clear if police would launch an investigation into the incident, but Wegner said police are neutral during protests.
On Friday, several hundred pro-Israel demonstrators gathered at Wittenberg Platz in Berlin under the banner “Fight Terror, Support Israel,” organized by the Mideast Freedom Forum Berlin, a non-denominational NGO.
By some estimates, Berlin is home to 35,000 Arabs of Palestinian origin.
On Friday, several hundred pro-Israel demonstrators gathered at Wittenberg Platz in Berlin under the banner “Fight Terror, Support Israel,” organized by the Mideast Freedom Forum Berlin, a non-denominational NGO.
