German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (L) with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Photo: PM of Israel Twitter page.
Authorities in the German capital Berlin have banned all pro-Palestine protests until May 2, alleging that some protesters have made antisemitic remarks, German media reported.
A protest in support of Palestinians was scheduled to take place in Berlin on Friday – titled ‘protest against Israeli aggression in Jerusalem’ – but was canceled by the city’s police.
“Based on experiences from the recent past,” police officials said, there is “the immediate danger” that such events could happen during pro-Palestinian protests again.
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Authorities in Berlin, Germany have banned all pro-Palestine protests until 2 May, alleging that some protesters have made antisemitic remarks. pic.twitter.com/sH8XRJid2x
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) April 30, 2022
Organizers of the protests contested the narrative of events by highlighting that the action of a few protesters should not be used to judge the rest of those who take part in the protests.
The police were easily able to ban the scheduled protest using an amendment to the Assembly Act introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic, which enables them to ban protests and gatherings if they claim there is a risk to public safety.
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Organizers of the pro-Palestinian protests issued a last-minute appeal against the ban yesterday, but Berlin’s Administrative Court struck it down by ruling that “The special public interest in the enforcement of the prohibition decision outweighs the interest of the applicant.”
While protests in support of Palestinians and against the Israeli occupation are banned until May 2, there are several other demonstrations scheduled to take place in the city which have not been restricted.
Featured image: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (L) with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Photo: PM of Israel Twitter page.
(Palestine Chronicle)
