Several detained at pro-Palestinian protest in Berlin

BERLIN

German police detained several demonstrators on Saturday during a pro-Palestinian protest in Berlin.

More than 1,000 people gathered in the German capital to express solidarity with Palestinians and protest Israel’s continuing attacks on Gaza.

Carrying Palestinian flags, the crowd marched with banners reading: “This is an anti-colonial struggle for freedom,” “Hands off Gaza and Lebanon,” “Today no one can say ‘I didn't know’,” and “Stop the genocide in Gaza.”

A pro-Israel group gathered along the marching route and tried to provoke the marchers by unfurling Israeli flags, but police stepped in to prevent any confrontations.

Claiming that the demonstration violated the relevant rules, police stopped the protesters and ended the march, detaining several protesters.

Israel has continued its devastating offensive against Gaza since a cross-border attack by Hamas in October 2023. The onslaught has killed nearly 43,800 people and rendered the enclave almost uninhabitable.

It has also displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.