On Saturday, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through central Berlin, demanding an arms embargo and EU sanctions against Israel under the banner of “international solidarity” with Palestine.
The protest, titled “All Eyes on Gaza,” was organized by a coalition of approximately 50 groups, including Germany’s Left party. Starting from city hall, the march proceeded through the Tiergarten park. Organizers reported a turnout of over 100,000 people, which would make it the largest pro-Palestinian rally held in the German capital to date. Their demands for sanctions are based on claims by international bodies, including the UN, of a genocide being carried out in Gaza.
Police provided a more conservative estimate of around 60,000 participants in the main demonstration. Separately, authorities disbanded a smaller, unaffiliated protest of about 1,200 people in the Kreuzberg district, citing criminal acts by some participants, including bodily harm and the use of explosives.
Similar, though smaller, solidarity protests also occurred in other German cities, including Düsseldorf.
