Ireland voices concern over German police violence

LONDON 

Irish officials have expressed concern after an Irish activist was punched in the face by a police officer during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Berlin.

Kitty O’Brien, who lives in Berlin, is recovering in hospital after sustaining injuries that required surgery, according to a report by the Irish Times on Tuesday.

Video footage shows a police officer striking her twice in the face, leaving her bleeding heavily.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he was “deeply concerned” by what he called an “unacceptable” assault. The Irish Embassy in Berlin has intervened.

German opposition politicians and campaigners say the incident is part of a wider pattern.

Vassily Franco, a Green Party state politician, accused Berlin’s governing mayor Kai Wegener of backing a “hard-line approach towards demonstrators” and refusing investigations in the past.

Writer and activist Mohamed Amjahid said the case marked a “new escalation,” arguing that German police had been given “carte blanche to do whatever they want”, with little accountability.

Germany does not have an independent police ombudsman. Complaints are usually handled internally, with few leading to prosecutions.

German Ambassador to Ireland David Gill said the video is “really awful.”

Berlin police said no preliminary investigation had been launched against the officer seen in the video, though a probe was underway into “whether the behavior was appropriate.”

In total, 94 people were detained after the clashes in central Berlin, and 96 investigations have been launched.