Demonstrations calling for “Solidarity with the people of the Gaza Strip” occurred in three places in Berlin over the weekend. The largest was in the district of Neukölln, where thousands of people marched on Saturday. Many chanted Allahu Akbar and screamed violent threats against Israelis and Jewish people in general.
The Berlin police say the marchers were ordered to disperse because of a lack of social distancing and violent hate speech against Jews. What happened was a fierce battle between some marchers and police that left scores of people injured. The police department says 900 officers were on hand, and 93 suffered injuries. The marchers hurled glass bottles, rocks, and other projectiles at the police.
There are unconfirmed reports that one protester died while fighting with police.
Nachtrag zum Wochenende in #Berlin #Neukölln allahu akbar Rufe in der Nachbarschaft. #b1505 pic.twitter.com/43zfKm4H8J
— Gerrit Seebald (@garstigergerrit) May 17, 2021
Thousands of people are chanting and marching through Berlin’s Neukölln district in one of three planned Gaza solidarity protests in the German capital today, which also marks Nakba mourning day for Palestinians. It’s largely calm, with a big police presence. pic.twitter.com/K5iptRPT8F
— Jared Reed (@jared_reed) May 15, 2021
