The German police union (GdP) has expressed concerns about possible unrest on October 7, the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.
“We expect decency from everyone in Germany on the anniversary of October 7,” Jochen Kopelke, chairman of the BBP, told the media group Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) on Friday.
Police took strong and consistent action against perpetrators of violence and rioters, Kopelke said, adding that all security authorities in Germany would have a “huge need for staff” on October 7.
Berlin BBP spokesman Benjamin Jendro told RND that authorities were bracing for a “dynamic, city-wide situation” due to the tense atmosphere.
“We look to the coming days with great concern,” he said.
Jendro pointed to recent events and said pro-Palestinian rallies had already escalated into anti-Semitic and violent incidents.
Background information about demos
He added that recent developments in the Middle East involving Israel, Lebanon and Iran could affect public demonstrations in the city.
On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian organization Hamas and other militants launched a terrorist attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people and abducting about 240 people to the Gaza Strip.
Israel responded with a fierce and sustained counterattack on Gaza. The Hamas-controlled health authority in the besieged strip estimates the current death toll since October 7 at more than 41,000.
The conflict led to numerous pro-Palestinian demonstrations worldwide, including in Germany, some of which were violent.
Domestic intelligence warns of risk of anti-Semitism
Germany’s domestic intelligence service, officially called the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), has warned of an increase in anti-Israel and anti-Semitic protests in Germany on the October 7 anniversary.
BfV President Thomas Haldenwang said Friday that the anniversary could serve as a “trigger event for broad parts of the protest spectrum.”
Haldenwang added that the current situation offers significant potential for heightened emotions, polarization and radicalization among previously moderate actors.
He also noted that the potential danger of terrorist attacks on Jewish and Israeli people and institutions, as well as on “the West” as a whole, has increased significantly over the past six months.
According to the BfV’s assessment, Berlin is likely to be the focus of the protests expected on October 7. Several demonstrations are planned in the capital that day, in addition to commemorative events.
Due to the “huge significance” of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, and the high number of civilian casualties in Lebanon, the BfV warns that violent actions by individuals or small groups against Israeli or Jewish targets cannot be ruled out. .
Haldenwang explained that the conflict in the Middle East has intensified anti-Semitism, with anti-Israel and anti-Jewish narratives “forming the basis for the anti-Israel and anti-Jewish poison” spreading through social networks. He said anti-Semitism is “a broad pathway to almost all forms of extremism and thus a powerful source of danger to our democracy.”
Since October 7, 2023, anti-Semitic crimes have reached an all-time high, he said.
Haldenwang called for decisive action, stating: “We must decisively confront the crisis profiteers who fuel, fuel and propagate conflict.”
He noted that security authorities have adapted to the changed situation and contributed to the banning of relevant organizations. For Germany, Israel’s existence is beyond question, and he emphasized that “only robust security protects against terrorism and anti-Semitism.”
The position of German-Palestinian society
The chairman of the German-Palestinian Association (DPG), Nazih Musharbash, distanced himself from parts of the pro-Palestinian demonstrations in comments to RBB-Inforadio on Friday.
He said that if laws were broken during demonstrations, it would be punishable and would not be supported by the DPG. “That is why we do not call for meetings of the German-Palestinian Association, because we do not want these people with us.”
This applies to right-wing extremists in Germany as well as Islamists, he said. “They are disrupting us and damaging our cause. They are not representatives of the vast majority, the peaceful vast majority of Palestinians in Germany.”
A lot has changed in Germany since October 7, 2023 – and not for the better, according to Musharbash. Both Palestinians and Jews are held responsible for the actions of their respective governments, groups or religions. Everyone is expected to take a stand.
“Either you are for Israel, then you are against Palestine, or the other way around. This is wrong,” Musharbash said. Everyone must work together for peace, he said.
The Palestinian community hardly dares to express itself, he said, adding: “Those demonstrating on the streets do not reflect what the majority thinks. They grieve and do not feel empathy from society and politics.”
At the same time, Musharbash called on the German government to put pressure on Israel to end its occupation of regions such as the West Bank.
