Berlin police banned two pro-Palestinian demonstrations scheduled for the weekend. Authorities said there was a risk of anti-Semitic exclamations in the capital on Thursday. Provocative calls, glorifying violence, intimidation, and acts of violence were also expected.
Reference was made to “experiences of the last few years and also the recent past”. Anti-Jewish slogans were said to have been shouted at a demonstration in Berlin-Neukölln, most recently on Holy Saturday. The police state determined the security because of sedition.
Police also said the ban on Saturday and Sunday demonstrations and substitute events was enacted “after all circumstances and information have been considered and all interests have been weighed, in particular the fundamental right to freedom of assembly”.
According to the announcement, the rallies are scheduled to be held in Israeli prisons this weekend to commemorate “Palestinian Prisoners’ Day.” According to the police, it was announced by private individuals.
The Samidoun network is calling for demonstrations on Sunday. According to security circles, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution considers the group close to the anti-Israel and radical Palestinian organization PFLP (People’s Front for the Liberation of Palestine).
Samidun is said to have attended the demonstration on Holy Saturday. According to observers, anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish slogans were chanted.
According to the organization demo, the video material of the rally in Neukölln and Kreuzberg was published on the Internet. A few people complained.
The police were criticized for not stopping the demonstration. Berlin’s anti-Semitism official, Samuel Salzborn, said Wednesday, based on available information, that the anti-Semitic character of last Saturday’s meeting was beyond doubt.
According to their own statements, the police have so far been investigating a particular case on suspicion of incitement to hatred. It was said that the police records and other videos of the incident would be evaluated and checked again by the translators.
