Nationwide mobilizes: Record number against Gaza War on the street

Around two years after the beginning of the Gaza War, more people in Berlin took part in protests against Israeli approach in Germany. The organizers spoke of more than 100,000 people – the police estimated the number at around 60,000. Both surpasses the largest German Gaza demonstration with 50,000 people in summer in Berlin.

A police spokeswoman spoke of a “very mostly peaceful course”. There were about 30 “restrictions on freedom” in the margin, 20 of them due to property damage before the demonstration. Activists had painted sayings on the street. According to their own statements, the police had around 1,800 officials in the entire Berlin city area.

In the afternoon, tens of thousands from the Red City Hall in Berlin-Mitte moved to a rally at the victory column in the Tiergarten. Among other things, the demonstrators called for the immediate stop of German arms exports to Israel, access to humanitarian aid to Gaza and EU sanctions against Israel.

Broad alliance called

An alliance of around 50 groups had called for the protests, including Propalestinian groups, Medico International, Amnesty International and the party DIE LINKE. Left leader Ines Schwerdtner said in the evening: “What we experienced today is impressive: more than 100,000 citizens came to Berlin to show solidarity with Palestine-peaceful and powerful.”

At the start, Schwerdtner made a short speech in the afternoon. She spoke of a genocide in Gaza and a complicity from the federal government. The criticism is directed against the Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “But our solidarity applies to people-in Palestine like in Israel, who face the extremely right-wing government,” said the left-wing chair.

Israeli government rejects criticism

The Israeli government strictly rejects the allegation of genocide. The trigger of the Gaza War was the terrorist attack of Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 hostages were dragged into the Gaza strips. The Israeli government reacted with large -scale bombing and a soil offensive. Thousands of people were killed.

International organizations and the United Nations have explained a famine for parts of the Gaza Strip and repeatedly blamed Israel’s abrasuration of the area for the lack of food. Israel’s government, on the other hand, says that there is enough food to be brought into the Gaza Strip and accuses the Hamas of taking humanitarian aid.

At the large demonstration in Berlin-Mitte, speech choirs “Free, Free Palestine”, “Viva Palestina” and “High the International Solidarity” was chant. On posters, demands such as “Gaza – stops the massacre”, “never again for everyone” and “Freedom for Palestine”. Many wore red flags and Palestinian flags. From a stage, an organizer warned the participants not to show any signs of prohibited organizations and not to scan sayings that would result in an intervention by the police.

The Jewish musician Michael Barenboim, one of the initiators of the demonstration, who spoke in the evening at the rally at the Victory Column. The hiphopper Kiz and Pashanim also appeared on the program.

Demos also in Düsseldorf and in Kreuzberg

According to the police, 12,000 people also took to the streets in Düsseldorf to draw attention to the situation of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Accordingly, there were no significant incidents.

The situation was different with a smaller Gaza demo with around 1,200 people in Berlin-Kreuzberg, which ran independently of the major event in the city center. According to the police, it was dissolved for crimes. The police at times stated some participants who did not withdraw. The police in social networks added a medical emergency.