Tuesday 13, February
Unregistered pro-Palestine protest assembles on Sonnenallee to protest Rafah bombing
On Monday evening, hundreds of demonstrators came out onto the streets of Neukölln for an unregistered protest after the Israeli army launched an attack on the densely crowded area of Rafah, where thousands of people are sheltering after being displaced by the ongoing war in Gaza.
Videos shared on social media showed demonstrators shouting political slogans such as “Free Palestine”, “End the Occupation” and “Ceasefire Now”, and gathering around letters made from tea lights spelling out “Rafah”. Since the protest was unregistered, police quickly arriving to break it up, leading to some violent scuffles in which stones and bottles were reportedly thrown at officers. Although there were no injuries, 14 criminal proceedings were opened.
Among the various slogans chanted by protestors, there were some which have been subject to bans by the German state such as “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” and “Stop the Genocide.” However, two courts in Germany, in Cologne and Munster, recently ruled that these slogans were not illegal and should be protected under the right to freedom of expression.
