questions and answers
“Palestine Congress” in Berlin: What can we expect from the event?
Pro-Palestine activists set up a protest camp in front of the Reichstag under the motto “Occupation against Occupation”.
© Jörg Carstensen / DPA
Large protests are taking place in Berlin against the war in the Gaza Strip and Israel. Jewish associations are outraged by the pro-Palestine rally. The police are on site with a large contingent. What is known before the event begins.
What is the Palestine Congress?
Under the motto “We accuse” takes place in A protest rally will take place in Berlin from this Friday. It is directed against the war in the Gaza Strip and against the supply of arms to Israel. According to police, the permanent rally has been registered until April 15th.
Where is the event taking place?
Pro-Palestinian activists have been camping in front of the Reichstag building in Berlin since Monday. It is not yet known where the rally will take place. The organizers don’t want to announce the exact location until shortly beforehand.
The press conference for the Palestine Congress is to take place in this shop. Police officers have already taken position
© Sebastian Christoph Gollnow / DPA
Who is expected at the protest?
According to the Senate Interior Administration in Berlin, groups that belong to the anti-Israel “boycott spectrum” mobilized for the event. There are also other anti-Israel groups such as the “Workers Power Group” (GAM), “Revolution” (REVO) and the “United Palestinian National Committee” (VPNK).
What safety precautions are there?
The police are preparing for a major operation in Berlin with 2,500 emergency services from all federal states. Around 900 officers will be deployed on Friday alone. The police announced that they would take consistent and quick action over the weekend as soon as there was any suspicion of criminal activity. “The police will take consistent action against anti-Semitic crimes and prevent the display of prohibited license plates and symbols,” said Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD). “Any attempt to abuse the fundamental right to freedom of assembly to attack our social coexistence through anti-Semitic and anti-Israel crimes will have consequences.”
The Berlin security authorities are continually assessing findings about the event, according to the interior administration. The operation is led by the head of the Operations and Traffic Directorate, Stephan Katte, led. The police officer already has experience with several large demonstrations, including in the context of the Gaza war. Katte also led the operation at the turn of the year 2023/24.
Who criticizes the Palestine Congress?
A non-partisan “alliance against anti-Semitic terror” is jointly opposing the event and has called for opposition. The critics said in a statement that glorification of terror and calls for the destruction of Israel are to be expected. Behind the alliance are various organizations such as the Amadeu Antonio Foundation as well as politicians from the FDP, SPD, Greens, CDU/CSU and Left.
The support group for the Holocaust memorial in Berlin had called for the planned “Palestine Congress” to be banned. The chairwoman of the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe group, Lea Rosh, spoke out firmly against the event on Friday. “We noted with outrage that a congress is planned that obviously does not serve the purpose of critical discourse, but rather the networking of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic groups. We are calling for the event to be banned,” said Rosh.
She called on the relevant authorities to act decisively within the framework of legal possibilities. “In a city that keeps alive the memory of the horrors of the Holocaust, we cannot and must not allow anti-Semitic and anti-Israel narratives to be spread,” emphasized Rosh.
The Central Council of Jews described the event as “a showcase of anti-Zionism.” “Anyone who ignores the terror of Hamas and thus the organization’s murderous strategy against its own population is discrediting themselves,” wrote Central Council President Josef Schuster on Thursday on the X platform (formerly Twitter).