Nearly 500 police officers were deployed to rallies in Berlin on Saturday as the one-year anniversary of the Gaza war approaches, police said on X.
Authorities are preparing for a large-scale operation throughout the weekend, as numerous gatherings have also been announced for Sunday.
Scores of people gathered outside Humboldt University in Berlin’s central Mitte district early in the afternoon for a pro-Israel rally. Some participants waved Israeli flags, while a large banner condemned anti-Semitism.
The demonstrators marched along the famous Unter den Linden street towards the north of the city.
Members of the left-wing radical Antifa movement also took part. One sign read: “Reclaim Antifa. Emancipation instead of anti-Semitism.”
A dpa reporter noted that the meeting was initially peaceful.
At the same time, numerous pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered at the Platz der Luftbrücke, near the police headquarters in the Tempelhof district of the city. Several Palestinian flags were visible.
The participants of the event entitled “One year of genocide – and the world is watching. Against police brutality” planned to march from Tempelhof via Kreuzberg to the Brandenburg Gate.
A counter-event entitled “We stand with Israel and the police” has also been registered.
At the Potsdamer Platz in the city, texts by Palestinian writers were also read out, as some passers-by followed.
