Friday 20, October
Further protests expected in Berlin on day of general strike for Palestine
Thursday night was unexpectedly calm on Sonnenallee. Despite an official ban, crowds have been gathering almost every evening around Neukölln in order to demonstrate for a ceasefire in Gaza, with scenes of violence and unrest spreading across social media following Wednesday’s protest. This Friday, however, has seen calls for a global general strike in solidarity with Palestine – and Berlin is preparing for large scale protests.
Police have cancelled days off among their forces, deploying “all available operational units in the state of Berlin” including bringing water cannons to Sonnenallee.
Meanwhile, the ban on any pro-Palestinian demonstration in the city has been met with criticism from the Central Council of Palestinians (Zentralrat der Palästinenser). Youssef El-Ali, who sits on the board of that organisation, told the media on Friday that he was worried by the fact that thousands of people would be denied their right to gather peacefully. Berlin, meanwhile, continues to forbid all official demos on this issue due the to “immediate danger” of “inciting antisemitic chanting” and the glorification of violence.
