Protests over the Middle East conflict
Riots that lasted for hours: police in Berlin were pelted with firecrackers, stones and bottles
There are also clashes with demonstrators in Berlin because of the Middle East conflict. The police are sometimes pelted with stones and fireworks
© TNN / DPA
The escalation in the Middle East conflict is driving Palestine supporters onto the streets in Berlin and other cities. The police chief speaks of a tense situation and aggression against the emergency services.
Despite a ban on pro-Palestinian demonstrations, there were again crowds of people and hours-long clashes in Berlin-Neukölln on Wednesday evening. In the evening, the police spoke of the still heated atmosphere on Sonnenallee. Pyrotechnics were being burned and stones and bottles were being thrown at police officers, the authority announced on the platform X, formerly Twitter. According to a police spokesman, some police officers were injured as a result, but according to preliminary information, they remained on duty.
“The situation in North Neukölln is tense,” said Berlin police chief Barbara Slowik in the RBB evening show. “We definitely have several hundred people on the streets in Sonnenallee,” said Slowik. “Tonight we can expect that smaller and larger groups will be out on the streets, chanting and perhaps committing crimes,” she said. The police are using water cannons to extinguish burning obstacles such as garbage cans on the streets. “We are clearly taking action,” emphasized the police chief.
Pro-Palestinian demonstration banned in Berlin
The police told X that many demonstrators were not complying with the officers’ requests. There is resistance to arresting suspects, so the police have to “use direct force”. The demonstrators were clearly participants in a replacement event for a pro-Palestinian rally, which was also banned. According to the spokesman, in addition to Sonnenallee, Reuterstrasse, Donaustrasse and Hermannplatz were also secondary locations for the previously banned demonstration.
A dpa reporter spoke of an aggressive mood and dozens of arrests. According to him, people mainly chanted “Free free Palestinian” and “Viva viva palestina”. The police also said on A fire was started on a balcony by throwing pyrotechnics, which police officers extinguished.
The chairman of the police union (GdP), Jochen Kopelke, has called for consistent action in connection with such riots. “We need quick trials and verdicts against the rioters,” Kopelke told the editorial network Germany (RND) on Wednesday. He spoke of an “absolutely disgusting atmosphere in Germany” and also referred, among other things, to the attempted arson attack on a Jewish community in Berlin on Wednesday night.
People gather at the Foreign Office
According to police, several hundred people also gathered at the Foreign Office. According to the police, the gathering against violence in the Middle East was ended directly by the organizer because she had no influence on the participants. 50 participants were registered. Several hundred came.
A rocket strike at the Al-Ahli clinic in the Gaza Strip, potentially killing hundreds, sparked widespread anger, particularly in Arab and Islamic countries (You can find out more about the explosion here). There were anti-Israel demonstrations there and also in Germany.
The Hamas-controlled health authority immediately blamed Israel for this on Tuesday evening, and neighboring Arab states joined in. Israel firmly rejected this and spoke of the impact of a stray rocket from the militant Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad. According to its “current assessment,” the US government also does not consider Israel to be responsible.
It was only on Wednesday night that riots broke out at pro-Palestinian rallies, especially in Neukölln. It was said that 20 police officers were injured. Two would have had to quit the service. According to the police, 39 people were arrested and 65 criminal cases were initiated. In addition, 12 administrative offenses were registered.
Protests about the Middle East conflict also take place in other cities
In Frankfurt am Main, police used a water cannon to break up a banned pro-Palestinian vigil. The main station was evacuated, as the police announced on X on Wednesday evening. A police spokesman confirmed this. “The isolated people who did not comply with the request were taken away by the emergency services.”
The city of Frankfurt had already issued a ban order during the afternoon, said the spokesman. Any alternative events are also prohibited. “Those who nevertheless want to take part here are violating the applicable law. So their identities are now being determined.”
In Bremerhaven, around 450 people gathered for a rally under the motto “Peace in the Middle East”. The police spoke of a peaceful incident. Smaller spontaneous gatherings were reported in Kassel and Heidelberg.
The Hamburg police have extended the ban on pro-Palestinian rallies through Sunday. The authority announced this on Wednesday evening. This affects “all unregistered and not officially confirmed assemblies whose content is related to support for Hamas or its attacks on the territory of Israel (so-called pro-Palestinian assemblies).” The police, as the assembly authority, imposed the ban with a general order last Sunday; it initially applied until Wednesday.
Note: This article has been updated