Numerous people protest again on Nakba Day in Berlin.

Large Crowd Protests Nakba Day in Berlin Once More

Over 6,000 individuals take to the streets of Berlin in another rally to mark the Palestinian Nakba Commemoration Day. The protest remains primarily non-violent, although a few firecrackers are thrown and forbidden slogans are chanted. Approximately 500 police officers are present at the scene.

Once again, a large crowd has assembled in Berlin to honor Palestinian Nakba Day. The police estimated the number of participants at around 6,200 demonstrators. However, the numbers fluctuated as individuals arrived and departed from the event. An initial estimate of 2,000 demonstrators was expected. The police continually took action against protesters, and there were reports of firecrackers being thrown and pyrotechnics being ignited. The protest march was halted several times due to these instances. The loudspeaker van at the front of the march was no longer allowed to join the parade because of unlawful slogans being shouted from it, according to a police spokesperson.

In response to calls from organizers, the police permitted the procession to continue. Prior to the commencement of the march, they advised the attendees to behave calmly. The participants marched under the banner "Palestine will be free" from Oranienplatz in Kreuzberg toward Rotes Rathaus.

Nearly 500 police officers present

The police reported that around 500 officers were on site. Some demonstrators were taken into custody in order to establish their identities, said the spokesperson. Some firecrackers were thrown towards police officers, she added. The organizers requested that participants refrain from engaging in such behavior, as noted by a dpa correspondent. Protesters made it difficult to document incidents by tying banners and raising umbrellas.

Several attendees displayed Palestinian flags while others held umbrellas in the form of a watermelon. The colors of the watermelon - red flesh, green and white rind, and black seeds - are similar to those of the Palestinian flag. Signs and banners read messages such as "End the genocide in Gaza" and "Stop the terror of occupation!" Chants included "Free Palestine, Free Gaza".

Various restrictions enforced

As per usual, the police imposed several conditions on the demonstration. For instance, calls for violence or hateful slogans were prohibited. Statements advocating the destruction of the state of Israel or flags and emblems of terrorist organizations like Islamist Hamas or the Samidoun organization, which was banned in Germany following the terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, were also forbidden.

Invitations for the protest were posted on various internet sites in German, English, and Arabic: "On this Nakba Day, no bans, no persecution, no repression can prevent us from demanding justice and liberation. We are not free until Palestine is free." Nakba Remembrance Day on May 15 commemorates the expulsion and displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the first Middle East war in 1948 following Israel's establishment.

Riots occurred after march on Wednesday

On Wednesday evening, around 600 people gathered peacefully in Charlottenburg to observe Nakba Remembrance Day. However, riots then ensued in Neukölln. According to the police, roughly 200 demonstrators convened there. Some of them set fire to garbage cans, and fireworks and Bengal flares were also ignited. People frequently threw items such as bicycles and trash cans onto the streets at various locations.

Since the Islamist Hamas's terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, there have been weekly demonstrations in Berlin. According to the Berlin prosecutor's office, approximately 1,040 cases (as of May 17) have been filed in relation to the Gaza war. Of these, around 210 cases involve criminal offenses during protests on the Middle East conflict, as revealed by a representative of the authorities. Many of the cases involve incitement to hatred, damage to property, insults, or the use of emblems of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations.