The Berlin police reported this Friday that they had received requests to hold demonstrations on New Year’s Eve in support of the Palestinian population and also of Israel in Berlin’s Neukolln district.
Taking into account the sensitive security situation that normally accompanies New Year’s Eve celebrations, together with the atmosphere in Neukolln (where the population is mainly Arab and Turkish and has recently been the scene of riots) and the planned fireworks display until midnight, the police asked the organizers to hold the demonstrations elsewhere in the German capital.
Berlin security authorities have since admitted they are considering taking preventive measures, including banning both demonstrations, due to the time and place they are taking place.
The pro-Palestinian demonstration in Neukolln is scheduled for 10pm local time (9pm in Lisbon) and currently only 100 people are expected to participate, although police estimate a much higher turnout.
There were also calls for another march in support of Israel for the same area.
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) launched a series of attacks on Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200, and kidnapped around 240 people on the same day.
Israel in turn responded with an intense military campaign in the Gaza Strip, which authorities say caused more than 21,500 deaths in the Palestinian enclave controlled by Hamas.
Since the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group, major European cities, especially in Germany and France, have been the scene of demonstrations in support of the Palestinians and Israelis.
German and French authorities have also recorded a sharp increase in racist, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents since hostilities began in early October.
Source: DN
