Thousands at pro-Palestinian demonstrations: Caliphate demanded
Following a demonstration in Essen that was announced as pro-Palestinian, the public prosecutor's office is investigating incitement to hatred. According to the police, in addition to pro-Palestinian flags and symbols, there were also displays that resembled the banned symbols and signs of the Islamic State and the Taliban.
At other pro-Palestinian rallies in North Rhine-Westphalia on Saturday, the police confiscated anti-Israel posters or issued bans. In Düsseldorf, 17,000 people demonstrated, in Münster there were up to 400 demonstrators. Overall, the police reported that both demonstrations were largely peaceful.
According to NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul, the public prosecutor's office is examining a video that was apparently recorded at the Essen rally on suspicion of incitement to hatred. The CDU politician said this on WDR television on Saturday evening.
The police explained that it had become clear during the march that the stated reason for the rally had possibly only been used as an excuse to hold an "Islamic religious rally" on the streets of Essen. The stewards had strictly separated the sexes. Women and children had to walk at the end of the march and stand in a different place to the men at the final rally. Instead of the announced 1500 demonstrators, 3000 turned up.
North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister President Hendrik Wüst (CDU) wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the weekend had overstepped boundaries. It is completely unacceptable that Islamist extremists are promoting their goals on the streets of our country and calling for a caliphate. "We will not tolerate this," wrote Wüst.
Reul announced that he would review the conditions for rallies. Anyone who proclaims a caliphate state on the streets has not understood the basic democratic order in Germany, the CDU politician told Bild am Sonntag. "We will closely review the conditions for this and, if necessary, tighten them even further. And above all, we will call on the federal government to legally review bans on other Islamist associations that are relevant here."
In Düsseldorf, only 1000 participants had originally been announced instead of a total of 17,000. Several posters had been seized on which the Holocaust had been relativized, the police explained. There will be criminal proceedings against them. Demonstrators had covered their mouths with adhesive tape.
At a vigil for Israel, participants lit candles on the banks of the Rhine in Düsseldorf. According to the police, the event with around 300 participants went off without a hitch.
In Münster, two participants who shouted anti-Israel slogans with criminal relevance were taken into custody. In addition, the police issued ten bans because participants were holding anti-Israel posters or distributing flyers whose content was suspected of incitement to hatred.
On October 7, Islamists from Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, and other terrorists carried out a massacre of civilians in Israel. Since then, Israel's army has been using air strikes and ground troops against targets in the sealed-off coastal area.
Despite the peaceful nature of most pro-Palestinian demonstrations, conflicts arose due to displays of banned Islamic State and Taliban symbols at some rallies. Consequently, several cities are addressing this issue by closely examining the conditions for future demonstrations and potentially tightening restrictions.
Source: www.dpa.com
