Throwing bottles and shouting “Free Palestine”: Berlin police take action against Palestinian protest in Neukölln

There were pro-Palestinian gatherings and tumults again in Berlin-Neukölln on Friday evening. Palestinian supporters, mostly teenagers and young men, gathered in front of snack bars and cafes.

Some wore scarves or shawls in the colors of the Palestine flag and argued loudly with the police. Despite the ban on demonstrations, around 100 people gathered on Neukölln’s Sonnenallee – young, Arab audiences and supporters of left-wing radical groups such as Migrantifa.

There were repeated scuffles between protesters and police. There were bottles thrown by demonstrators, police officers confiscated a Palestinian flag and arrested several people. The mood was sometimes very aggressive and tense, and media representatives were insulted as “press whores”.

Supporters of the left-wing terrorist organization PFLP also mingled with the crowd. There were repeated chants of “Free Palestine” and anti-Israel slogans. Pyrotechnics were also reportedly ignited.

The police had previously announced an increased presence on the streets; especially in Neukölln, Wedding and the government district. But by evening it was only necessary in Neukölln to break up forbidden gatherings and disperse the individual groups on the sidewalks. The police banned a demonstration on Pariser Platz that was scheduled for 4 p.m. The authority justified this by saying that “there is an imminent danger that inciting anti-Semitic shouts, glorification of violence, the conveying of a willingness to use violence and thus intimidation and violence could occur at the meeting.”

According to an employee of the situation service at police headquarters, there were no further incidents on Pariser Platz, where the US embassy is also located. Even after Friday prayers in the Al-Nur Mosque on Haberstrasse in Neukölln, there were no demonstrative actions. “Our focus now is on protecting Shabbat celebrations in synagogues,” the official said. The police have not yet been able to provide any information about the number of arrests.

The reason for the Palestinian actions in Berlin is the “Day of Rage”, which was declared by the terrorist organization Hamas due to the current Israel-Gaza war. After Hamas attacked several towns near the Gaza Strip, in which around 1,200 Israelis were murdered and around 150 were kidnapped to Gaza, the Israeli army began military action against Hamas.