50,000 people join Berlin demonstration against Gaza war

Some 50,000 people gathered in central Berlin on Saturday to protest Israel’s military action in the Gaza Strip, according to police estimates, in what organizers expect will be the largest Gaza rally in the city to date.

The “All Eyes on Gaza” demonstration began outside the Berlin city hall and marched toward the Victory Column, a monument in the German capital’s Tiergarten park, where a mass rally is scheduled to run into the evening.

Chants of “Free Palestine” and “Long live international solidarity” echoed through the crowd, while placards read “Gaza – Stop the massacre,” “Never again for everyone” and “Freedom for Palestine.”

The protest was called by an alliance of around 50 groups, including pro-Palestinian organizations, The Left party, Medico International and Amnesty International. Their demands include an immediate halt to German arms exports to Israel, unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza and EU sanctions against Israel.

Berlin police said about 1,800 officers were deployed across the city.

The largest Gaza demonstration in Berlin to date drew about 50,000 people. The organizers expected the total number of people at Saturday’s rally to exceed that figure.

The rally is set to see performances from Jewish violinist Michael Barenboim, as well as German hip-hop artists K.I.Z. and Pashanim.

While the main demonstration was peaceful, police said they had to break up a smaller rally of around 1,200 people in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district due to criminal offences.

Some participants who did not leave the protest were detained by the police.

Accusations of genocide

The organizers of “All Eyes on Gaza” demonstration accuse Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians.

Barenboim, one of the protest’s initiators and concertmaster of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra founded by his father Daniel Barenboim, echoed the accusation.

“‘All Eyes on Gaza’ aims to make the protest against the genocide in Gaza visible on the streets,” he told Berlin broadcaster rbb24. “I don’t consider that a drastic description, because it’s the term used by almost all human rights organizations and nearly all experts.”

“Preventing and punishing genocide is the duty of us all,” he said.

The leader of The Left party, Ines Schwerdtner, gave a short speech at the beginning of the demonstration, in which she criticized the German government’s inaction.

“The chancellor and ministers talk, but they do not act,” she said.

“They speak of ‘reasons of state’ while hospitals are reduced to rubble and ashes. They remain silent about the genocide – and make themselves complicit,” she added.

Schwerdtner emphasized that her criticism was directed at the Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “But our solidarity is with the people – in Palestine and in Israel – who oppose the extreme right-wing government,” she said, calling for “the release of the hostages and all political prisoners.”

The Gaza conflict began on October 7, 2023 with a large-scale attack by Hamas and other militant groups on southern Israel, leaving around 1,200 people dead and more than 250 abducted and taken to Gaza.

According to the Gaza health authorities, controlled by Hamas, more than 65,500 Palestinians have been killed. The figure does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

An independent United Nations inquiry announced this month that it had found that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. UN agencies also say that many of Gaza’s residents are enduring famine.

The Israeli government firmly rejects accusations of genocide, saying it is conducting the war in self-defence and in accordance with international law.

The Israeli government also says sufficient food is being brought into the Gaza Strip and accuses Hamas militants of siphoning off humanitarian aid.

Thousands rally in Dusseldorf

Several thousand people also gathered in Dusseldorf in western Germany in support of Palestinians.

Police in the city deployed a large contingent of officers, but a spokesman said in the afternoon that the event had been peaceful.

The route of the march went from the main train station through the city centre. Some participants arrived in Dusseldorf by bus from other parts of Germany.

The demonstration, organized by an action alliance, took place under the slogan: “We will not forget Gaza – Freedom for Palestine and all oppressed peoples.”