Berlin domestic senator Iris Spranger has announced a crackdown on anti-Semitism ahead of the first anniversary of the October 7 attacks on Israel.
“My position is clear: hatred, slander and anti-Semitism have no place on the streets of Berlin,” Spranger told dpa on Saturday, as the city prepared for rival demonstrations, prompting a large-scale police operation to keep the peace.
Police officers in the German capital have been tasked with investigating possible criminal offenses during the rallies.
“We will do everything we can to ensure that the demonstrations around October 7 can take place peacefully and safely,” she said.
The senator also called on participants to “express their opinions, their personal concerns and their protests peacefully, respectfully and without violence.”