A pro-Palestinian demonstration in Berlin calling for an end to the war in the Gaza Strip drew around 2,000 people on Saturday, police in the German capital reported.
Demonstrators marched from the Kreuzberg district to the Brandenburg Gate in the city centre under the slogan “Solidarity with Palestine.”
Organizers registered a protest for 5,000 people, but police put the number at 2,000, updating earlier estimates which put the number of participants at some 1,500. The gathering proceeded peacefully, a spokesman said.
However placards with illegal slogans were seen, and charges filed against the people carrying them, he said.
Marchers wore Palestinian scarves and carried placards condemning the bombing of the Gaza Strip as a war crime. They called for freedom for Palestine, waving Palestinian flags.
They chanted: “Stop the murder, stop the war, stop the Gaza genocide.”
A Berlin branch of the opposition hard-left Die Linke had called the protest. It urged the German government to work towards an immediate and durable ceasefire and for the blockade on the Gaza Strip to be lifted.
Humanitarian aid should be allowed in to provide for the civilian population, Die Linke said.
Previous pro-Palestinian protests in Berlin have turned violent.
David Turner is a globe-trotting journalist who brings a global perspective to our readers. With a commitment to shedding light on international events, he explores complex geopolitical issues, offering a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
