2024-10-07 15:23:46
Not just peaceful commemoration
Riots and protests on the anniversary of the Hamas attack
October 6, 2024 – 7:57 p.mReading time: 4 min.
Before the anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel, there was great concern about riots in Germany. Things did not remain peaceful in Berlin.
Immediately before the anniversary of the Hamas massacre in Israel and the subsequent Gaza war, thousands of people took to the streets in several German cities. There were larger demonstrations in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Munich. There was tumult at a pro-Palestine rally in the capital on Sunday evening. The police had warned of riots, and Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) announced a tough crackdown on anti-Semitism.
On October 7, 2023, terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped around 250 others as hostages in the Gaza Strip. This was the trigger for the Gaza war, in which, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority, around 42,000 Palestinians have been killed so far, around a third of them children and young people.
According to a police spokeswoman, around 3,500 people gathered in Berlin-Kreuzberg on Sunday for a pro-Palestinian protest march entitled “Demo against genocide in Gaza”. In the evening there were stones and bottles thrown at police officers. Demonstrators tried to break through a police line and firecrackers were set off. Several people were arrested. “Due to the disturbance, the meeting was canceled,” said a police spokeswoman.
People had gathered at the Brandenburg Gate for a pro-Israel demonstration. A large Israel flag was unfurled in front of the city’s landmark. According to the police, around 500 people then moved to Bebelplatz, about a kilometer away. This has symbolically become the “Square of the Hamas Hostages” again. Among other things, empty chairs there are a reminder of the victims.
According to police, more than 8,000 people came together in Munich for the “365 Days – Munich against Anti-Semitism” memorial event. The Israeli ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, and the president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, took part. Almost within sight, a counter-demonstration by the group “Palestine Speaks Munich” took place under the slogan “365 days of genocide”, in which around 1,200 people took part.
According to the police, almost 1,000 people took part in a memorial march by the global movement “Run for their lives” in Düsseldorf, and around 400 participants in a protest march in Hamburg. The movement regularly commemorate the hostages and victims of the Hamas attack with memorial walks.
There had already been demonstrations in several German cities nationwide on Saturday. According to police, more than 1,000 people took part in a pro-Palestine rally in Berlin. Around 650 turned out for a pro-Israel gathering. According to the police, there were 49 short-term arrests and scuffles at the pro-Israel rally in Berlin-Mitte.
On Sunday night, a color attack was carried out on the CDU party headquarters in Berlin. According to the police, red lettering was daubed on the building in Berlin-Tiergarten, which is said to be in the context of the Middle East conflict. The state security agency responsible for politically motivated crimes is investigating. The perpetrator was able to escape undetected.
According to police estimates, around 950 people in Hamburg and more than 1,000 people in Düsseldorf marched through the cities in pro-Palestine demonstrations.
A pro-Palestinian demonstration in London with tens of thousands of people was significantly larger. In Rome, there were sometimes violent clashes between demonstrators and police officers at an unauthorized pro-Palestine demonstration with several thousand participants.
There have been repeated pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Germany for a year with serious accusations directed at Israel. The Central Council of Jews sees considerable dangers for Jewish life in Germany. “The inhibition threshold to call for and carry out violence against Jews is decreasing,” Central Council President Schuster told the German Press Agency. There is a “continuing explosion of anti-Semitic acts” and a “mechanism of hate.” Politicians must strengthen the fight against anti-Semitism not just rhetorically, but “concretely through state measures and protective mechanisms”.
On the occasion of the anniversary, the federal government expressed solidarity with Israel and the Jews living in Germany. It should never be the case that citizens of the Jewish faith in Germany have to live in fear and terror, said Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in his podcast. “We will never accept anti-Semitism and blind hatred of Israel. The Jews here in Germany deserve the full solidarity of our state – and the solidarity of all decent people in this country,” said Scholz.