Police ban Palestinian solidarity rallies in Berlin

By Timo Kirez

GENEVA (AA) – Berlin police on Wednesday banned rallies in support of Palestine, fearing incitement of anti-Semitic exclamations, glorification of violence, and violence as well.

In Berlin, two solidarity rallies with Palestinians were planned for Wednesday under the banners "Solidarity with All Political Prisoners on Palestinian Prisoners Day" and "Demo in Solidarity with Palestine."

However, Berlin police issued a statement early this morning prohibiting rallies in the city, citing past experiences of popular incitement, “anti-Semitic exclamations, glorification of violence, as well as violence."

Following the announcement of the ban, the organizer of the two Palestinian solidarity rallies accused the Berlin police of racism, stating that further steps would be announced later.

The rallies are banned "on racist grounds," the organizer Initiative Palestine said in a statement posted on its website.

"However, we will not be silenced. We will inform about upcoming steps to bring Palestine (issue) to the streets of Berlin," the Initiative Palestine added.

Meanwhile, police have prohibited a third demonstration outside a school in Berlin's Neukolln district on Wednesday under the banner "Against violence in schools."

Following a physical altercation between a student and a teacher at the school on Monday, parents' representatives called for the protest demonstration.

According to police, a 14-year-old student allegedly "started the fight because he showed up to school wearing a Palestine flag as a cape and a Palestinian scarf around his head."

In a dramatic escalation of Mideast tensions, Israeli forces have launched a sustained and forceful military campaign against the Gaza Strip, a response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.

The conflict began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air, which Hamas said was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.

In response to Hamas' actions, the Israeli military launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.

Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has reeled under a crippling siege since 2007.