Germany: Police attacked, 36 criminal investigations launched in pro-Hamas protest marked by "intense dedication"

Image: Jihad Watch

A pro-Palestine march through Berlin’s Kreuzberg district on Saturday may have been modest in size, with approximately 720 attendees, but participants appeared deeply committed to their cause, leading to confrontations with police and 36 criminal investigations being opened.

According to local newspaper Berliner Kurier, demonstrators attacked police officers and threw glass bottles at them, injuring eight over the course of the night. Allegedly, “forbidden slogans” were chanted multiple times — Germany’s strict speech control laws, a remnant of its 20th-century history, prompted police to remove 95 people from the march for antisemitic statements.

When police arrested some participants, other demonstrators reportedly tried to free them, intensifying tensions, Die Welt reported. By early evening, police attempted to end the march before its scheduled finish, with some attendees resisting and needing to be forcibly moved.

Later in the evening, about 35 participants reconvened and attacked police again when ordered to disperse. One person attempted to seize an officer’s service weapon.

At a Sunday press conference, police reported launching 36 criminal investigations related to the incident, including charges of “attempted aggravated theft of firearms” by the individual who attempted to grab the pistol, as well as physical assault, attacks on officers, aiding in the escape of detainees, using symbols associated with unconstitutional and terrorist organizations, and incitement to hatred.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)