Police intervened at pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Berlin’s central Alexanderplatz due to anti-Israel chants and actions, resulting in 10 temporary arrests on Friday evening, according to police reports.
One incident involved a man tearing paper Israeli flags during a “Vigil for Gaza” rally.
At another gathering titled “Stop the War,” which saw a peak attendance of about 100 participants, police reported that anti-Israel or slogans demeaning Israel were repeatedly chanted. The rally’s leaders were urged to moderate the participants.
Around 60 people participated in the vigil, according to police, with approximately 400 officers present at the scene.
Investigations are ongoing for suspicion of insult and suspicion of using identifiers of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations.
Furthermore, the 40-year-old mother of an 11-year-old child is being investigated on suspicion of violating the duty of care and upbringing.
This is because, according to the police, speeches were deliberately delivered by underage children during the “Stop the War” rally, who cannot yet be held accountable under criminal law.
Over the weekend, people in Berlin plan to hold rallies to commemorate the massacre by the Palestinian militant organisation Hamas in Israel a year ago and the Gaza war.
(dpa)