Amnesty slams German police violence against peaceful pro-Palestinian protesters

BERLIN

Amnesty International has sharply criticized Berlin police for using excessive force against protesters during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Berlin.

“We are concerned by videos and reports of excessive use of force by police against protestors at a Palestine solidarity demonstration in Berlin on Saturday,” the rights group said in a statement on X, and demanded independent investigations into the police officers involved.

More than two dozen protesters were arrested on Saturday during a brutal police intervention, in the latest example of Germany’s aggressive crackdown on pro-Palestinian voices in the country.

In videos posted on social media, police officers were seen throwing peaceful protesters to the ground, repeatedly beating protesters they had pinned on the ground, and punching them in the head or the face.