Scores arrested as Berlin police clear Gaza war protesters’ camp at parliament

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - Police have violently cleared a camp of Gaza war protesters at the German parliament on Friday, arresting several people.

There were “repeated crimes and violations” committed by residents of the protest camp, including acts of violence by residents against police officers, police wrote on X.

According to police, they had repeatedly asked the residents of the camp to leave the site and when they refused, they proceeded to start arresting mainly young protesters who were seen flashing the victory sign with their fingers as they were whisked away to the police vehicle.

There were no immediate reports of injuries in the police clampdown.

The latest crackdown came two weeks after Berlin police broke up the Palestine Congress in Berlin on Friday, less than two hours after the event kicked off.

Dozens of police officers stormed the meeting, cutting off the livestream transmission and electricity in the hall.

A police official ordered the 250 participants to leave the hall, spurring strong shouts of protest by the crowd.

At least one person was seen being taken away by police amid crowd cheers of “Viva, viva Palestine” and “Stop the (Israeli) genocide.”

Police in Berlin have taken a generally tough stance toward pro-Palestinian protests since the start of the Oct. 7 war in Gaza.

Authorities have imposed strict conditions on demonstrations or banned them outright.

Protesters and critics have accused authorities of violating democratic freedoms of speech and assembly with the crackdowns.