The Berlin police spoke to the police on Tuesday afternoon eviction of an undeclared, pro-Palestinian protest camp in an inner courtyard at the Free University (FU) Berlin. The Police lead the demonstrators away one by onesometimes with the use of violence.
It happens again and again Clashes between protesters and police forces, as a Tagesspiegel reporter reported on site. Other demo participants, however, allow themselves to be led away without resistance.
Some students from an adjacent building broke through a door, which the police had previously closed, and tried to join the protest. Emergency services had to push people back. Four people were then taken away. The door was locked again.
The emergency services had previously announced several times over loudspeakers that the Event officially dissolved and the demonstrators were given the opportunity to leave the camp. The FU is making use of its house rules, said a police officer on site.
© Christoph Papenhausen
Pro-Palestinian activists have been occupying the building since the morning Court at the FU. A FU spokeswoman confirmed this upon request. This is the “Theaterhof” at the Rostlaube behind the FU cafeteria in Dahlem. There was initially no concrete information from the police.
FU partially stops teaching
The FU partially stopped teaching on Tuesday. “This form of protest is not aimed at dialogue. Occupation is not acceptable on the grounds of the FU Berlin. We are available for a scientific dialogue? but not in this way,” said university president Günter Ziegler in a statement.
According to the university, activists at the protest camp also had protests during the morning tries to break into rooms and lecture halls at the universityto fill these. The group, which says it is made up of students from various Berlin universities and other people, has asked other students and professors to take part. The group has demands madebut rejected any dialogue or negotiations.
It is closed Damage to property came, it said in the message. The university has Criminal charges filed. Teaching operations in the Rust, Silver and Holzlaube buildings have been discontinued. The libraries in these buildings and the cafeteria were closed.
“Viva, Viva Palestina” cries
According to estimates by a Tagesspiegel reporter, they took part between 100 and 150 demonstrators at the protest. Around 100 other people stood around the “Theaterhof” and watched the demonstration. The FU spokeswoman estimated the number of participants at 80 to 100 people.
The university had a meeting in the morning rapid action announced. “The FU ordered the evacuation and called the police,” a university spokeswoman told the German Press Agency (dpa).
© Christoph Papenhausen
Demonstrators shouted to the Tagesspiegel reporter “German Nazi Media” and “Shame on you” to. The German press is lying, a protester with a camera told the Tagesspiegel. No participant in the protest camp wanted to make a statement.
Self-painted posters read, among other things: “When injustice becomes right, resistance becomes mandatory,” “Strike is resistance,” “Fight colonial power,” and “Decolonise feminism – free Palestine student coalition.” One was created for this purpose List of names of some of the Palestinians killed hung on the university building. Flags with the Palestinian colors could also be seen.
© Christoph Papenhausen
A demonstrator with a megaphone shouted, among other things “Viva, Viva Palestine”. The rest of the demonstrators clapped in time and responded in unison. Shouts of “Fuck you FU”, “Fuck you Germany” and “Free, free Palastine” could also be heard. Some of the surrounding students joined in the chants.
I think the protests are good, but I’m not in the mood to take part today.
Judith, 22-year-old philosophy student at the Free University of Berlin
Judith, a 22-year-old philosophy student who was preparing for her next seminar a little away from the demonstration, told the Tagesspiegel in the morning: “I think the protests are good, but I’m not in the mood to take part today.”
The demonstrators demand Solidarity with Gaza. “We are occupying the Free University of Berlin,” it said in a speech. This is done in solidarity with the Palestinian people. The actions of the Israeli army in Gaza were criticized. This required immediate reactions and international solidarity, it was said to justify the protest.
The group posted on Instagram “Student Coalition Berlin” Pictures of the camp showing around a dozen tents. In the post, the group called on universities and research institutes, students, faculty and academic partners to to join the “solidarity protest”. It is expected that universities “that have joined the politics of this racist state” will try to downplay the demands. But they will not “give in and accept negotiations about half-solutions and performative actions.”
This is not about scientific debates or controversies, but about anti-Israel and anti-Semitic hatred.
Samuel SalzbornAnti-Semitism Commissioner for the State of Berlin
“The actions last week at the HU and today at the FU show: anti-Israel activists are trying anti-Semitic escalation“We have been experiencing plagiarism in Germany for weeks now at American universities and massively intimidate Jewish students,” said Berlins Anti-Semitism Commissioner, Samuel Salzborn, the Tagesspiegel on Tuesday. It’s not about scientific debates or controversies, but about anti-Israel and anti-Semitic hatred.
“The action at the HU last week showed this very clearly: the activists rejected HU President Julia von Blumenthal’s offer to discuss within the usual scientific committees; they do not want scientific discussion, but anti-Israel escalation,” Salzborn said.
Adrian Grasse, science policy spokesman for the CDU parliamentary group in the Berlin House of Representatives, praised the university’s quick reaction. “I am concerned that not only the number of incidents at our universities is increasing, but also the number of those taking part in such actions,” he said on Tuesday. It is unacceptable how hatred and agitation against Israel is being spread at Berlin universities.
On Friday there was a pro-Palestinian sit-in in front of Humboldt University, which was also evacuated. According to police, there were around 150 people there undeclared rally came together. The protesters demanded a lecture hall as a rally location, which the university management did not grant. As a result, the police directed 37 investigations one for possible cases of sedition and resistance to law enforcement officers.
In the USA has been available at numerous universities for more than two weeks Protests against Israeli military operations against the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip and for Solidarity with the Palestinians living there. Critics particularly blame the radical part of the protest movement anti-Semitism and the trivialization of the terrorist organization Hamas before. There are fears that these violent protests could spill over into Germany.
The background is the unprecedented massacre with more than 1,200 deaths that terrorists from Hamas and other groups carried out in Israel on October 7th. (with dpa)