Police chief Beate Ostertag watches a video from a Gaza demonstration from Berlin this summer. – Here the police behave completely by the book. My colleagues neutralize someone who has broken the law, she says to news. In the video, a police officer can be seen walking towards a person wearing a Palestinian headscarf. The person is then kicked in the crotch and falls over in pain. The woman in the video is 28-year-old German Kübra. – I went to the emergency department for an examination. There was internal bleeding, but luckily no damage to the uterus. BY THE BOOK: – Here the police behave completely by the book. My colleagues neutralize someone who has broken the law, she says to news. Photo: Gregor Theus / news – They want to scare me off the street Kübra demonstrates against the Gaza war every week. Since October last year, the Berliner has been arrested four times. She is not the only one. The police in Berlin say that there have been 5,000 arrests in connection with protests against the Gaza war. – I will not stop. I’m not afraid, says Kübra to news. The activist adds that she nevertheless fears that friends will be injured and end up in hospital. Now she has chosen to report the police’s use of violence. During a demonstration against the Gaza war on 22 June, Kübra is kicked down by the police. On Israel’s side, Germany has Europe’s largest Palestinian population. The country also sends weapons that are used by Israel in the war in Gaza. The Second World War and Germany’s role in the Holocaust make it difficult for the country’s politicians to criticize Israel. – Israel’s security is absolutely essential for Germany, said Chancellor Olaf Scholz after the attack on 7 October last year. – Our place is on Israel’s side, stated Scholz. Both German politicians and major German media have been careful to criticize Israel and cracked down hard on anti-Israeli statements. The perspective of German Palestinians does not appear in the German public. OFFENSE – According to the Berlin court, this is an offence. Then we have to intervene and arrest those who shout, says Ostertag. Photo: John MACDOUGALL / AFP Violence is necessary. – We see that many of those who participate in the pro-Palestine demonstrations have become more radical, says the police spokesperson. The police chief says that although there are also peaceful demonstrations, many of those protesting have become more violent. She says that most of those who are punished have shouted illegal slogans. – According to the Berlin court, this is an offence. Then we have to intervene and arrest those who shout, she says. EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW: – We treat everyone equally, whether they are far-right or Palestinian activities, says Beate Ostertag. Photo: Gregor Theus / news Police chief Ostertag looks at the video where Kübra and others are beaten and kicked. The policewoman believes that the use of violence is necessary to arrest people who break the law. – What we see here is the mildest form of violence. We also use dogs, tear gas and batons. As a last resort, we can also use firearms, she says. From the river to the sea Kübra will not tell news if she herself shouts the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” during the demonstrations. She is afraid that this could be used by the police against her. According to a court in Berlin, the slogan deprives Israel of its right to exist. Many Germans perceive pro-Palestine slogans as anti-Semitic. Kübra does not agree. – How can the slogan be anti-Semitic, when it is shouted by Jewish women at demonstrations, says the Turkish-German activist. ANTISEMITE: – I am Jewish and Israeli, but I am not allowed to show support for Palestine. Then I will be called anti-Semitic, says Eliana Ben David. Photo: Gregor Theus news has spoken to several Jewish activists in Berlin. Jüdische Stimme is a Jewish anti-Zionist organization protesting the war in Gaza. – I am Jewish and Israeli, but I am not allowed to show support for Palestine. Then I will be called anti-Semitic, says Eliana Ben David to news. Last autumn, another of the group’s members, Iris Hefets, was arrested after a pro-Palestine demonstration. The 56-year-old Jewish woman was brought in after standing with the poster “Zionism kills”. She was released soon after. – Of course they are anti-Semites At Berlin’s most famous department store, KaDeWe, a handful of people are standing with German and Israeli flags. They have turned up to show opposition to a larger demonstration on the other side of the street. ISRAELVENN: – Of course they are anti-Semites, says the woman and nods at the gang on the other side of the street. Photo: Zofia Paszkiewicz / news A column of police cars and helmeted officers separates the two groups. – No Palestine demonstration, without us showing up with Israeli flags, says Daniele to news. She is a German Jew and has the logo of the Israeli army, IDF, on her chest. – Of course they are anti-Semites, she says and nods at the gang on the other side of the street. Daniele and the others who are here to show support for Israel’s war in Gaza assure that they are satisfied with the work of the Berlin police. – In 99 percent of the cases, the police protect us. That’s why I have this T-shirt, says Daniele as she turns her back to news. On the back of her T-shirt it says “Many thanks to the police!”. PROTECT: – They are supposed to protect us, but they don’t, says Kübra indignantly. Photo: Gregor Theus / news – They are supposed to protect us On the other side of the street, Kübra has come into conflict with the police again. She is dragged out of the crowd and put into a police car. This time it ends with talk and a warning. The 28-year-old woman, who is a German citizen and has lived in the country all her life, says that she has no confidence in the police. – They are supposed to protect us, but they don’t, says Kübra indignantly. She tells of episodes where she has called the police when she has been attacked by racists in the street. FOREIGNER: – They came, but they called for those who had called me “damn foreigner”. It was I who summoned them, but it was the others who were protected. They don’t protect us. Photo: Zofia Paszkiewicz / news – They came, but they called for those who had called me “damn foreigner”. It was I who summoned them, but it was the others who were protected. They don’t protect us. CONVERSATION: On the other side of the street, Kübra has come into conflict with the police. This time it ends with talk and a warning. Photo: Anna Karismo / YLE The police reply that they must protect all citizens and that they treat everyone equally. – We live in a state governed by the rule of law. It is the police’s task to protect freedom of assembly. We treat everyone equally, whether they are far-right or Palestinian activities, says police chief Beate Ostertag. Would you like to hear Kübra tell, and an expert on German right-wing extremism explain what is happening. Listen to the podcast from Urix. Published 27/09/2024, at 10.52
ttn-69
Police against Gaza demonstrators in Berlin – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
