The organizers of the “Palestine Congress” in Berlin, originally planned for three days, have called for a demonstration against the dissolution of the event. According to police reports, they have announced a demonstration with 1,500 people for Saturday. “Come to the Neptune Fountain in Berlin tomorrow at 2 p.m. to demonstrate against the ban on the Palestine Congress,” it says on the congress’s website. The police will protect the meeting room accordingly, said a spokesman for the Berlin police.
The police are also expecting spontaneous protest events. A spokeswoman said that numerous police officers were on duty in the city to monitor the situation. Originally, around 900 officials were supposed to accompany the second day of the congress. “The deployment of forces we will use on Saturday depends on the situation,” said the spokeswoman. There were no incidents the night after the congress was dissolved.
Police see danger from Holocaust denial
Around two hours after it began, the event was broken up by the police under the motto “We are prosecuting.” Early on Friday evening, the up to 250 participants were asked to leave the hall. The reason of the event authority: a speech by Salman Abu Sitta. The Palestinian researcher is banned from political activity in Germany because of hate speech against Israel and Jews. As he spoke, the police and several officers intervened, cut the transmission and temporarily switched off the power.
According to a police spokeswoman, the authorities saw the danger “that such anti-Semitic, violence-glorifying and Holocaust-denying speeches could be repeated at the event.” The decision therefore applies not only to the first day of the conference, but to the entire weekend.
Various pro-Palestinian groups and initiatives invited people to the international meeting. These include primarily those that, according to security authorities and Berlin’s internal administration, fall into the “boycott spectrum”. This anti-Israel movement is accused of propagating anti-Semitic attitudes, denying Israel’s right to exist and relativizing Hamas’ terror. The congress was announced a long time ago, but its exact location was kept secret for a long time and was only announced on Friday.
Police presence also in the congress hall
The participants in the meeting reacted to the official termination with loud expressions of displeasure. In English they shouted, among other things, “shame on you”. Finally, they gradually left the hall – some accompanied by policewomen.
In some cases, the event, which was considered a public meeting, was observed by the police directly in the hall. Before the meeting began, politicians and the police had announced that they would take consistent action if anti-Semitic statements or crimes occurred.
Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser had praised the use of the police on platform. “It is right and necessary for the Berlin police to crack down on the so-called Palestine Congress. We do not tolerate Islamist propaganda or hatred against Jews,” she wrote. The police union also called the officers’ crackdown “a strong signal towards those who exploit our democracy or doubt the assertiveness of the capital’s police.” According to a statement, state leader Stephan Weh said: “Anyone who wants to use our democratic opportunities must also adhere to the requirements and laws.”
There had already been protests against the event in advance, including from the Central Council of Jews. There were also protests on the day the congress began.
The organizers of the “Palestine Congress” in Berlin, originally planned for three days, have called for a demonstration against the dissolution of the event. According to police reports, they have announced a demonstration with 1,500 people for Saturday. “Come to the Neptune Fountain in Berlin tomorrow at 2 p.m. to demonstrate against the ban on the Palestine Congress,” it says on the congress’s website. The police will protect the meeting room accordingly, said a spokesman for the Berlin police.
The police are also expecting spontaneous protest events. A spokeswoman said that numerous police officers were on duty in the city to monitor the situation. Originally, around 900 officials were supposed to accompany the second day of the congress. “The deployment of forces we will use on Saturday depends on the situation,” said the spokeswoman. There were no incidents the night after the congress was dissolved.