Pro-Palestine Rally Banned in Berlin on New Year’s Eve

District mayor of Berlin-Neukölln, Martin Hikel, noted the rally may cause unrest instead of expressing solidarity with people in Gaza

Published 12/30/23 

Palestinian demonstrators march to demand a ceasefire in the current Gaza conflict on December 28, 2023 in Berlin, Germany.

Photo by Maryam Majd/Getty Images

Police in Berlin banned a pro-Palestine rally that was set to take place on New Year’s Eve, fearing that the protests would incite violence.

Officials said that the ban was issued over concerns that the rally “will result in inciting, antisemitic shouts, glorification of violence, the conveying of a willingness to use violence and thus intimidation and violence,” German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported.

"Crimes are to be expected — in the area or from this gathering," Berlin police chief Barbara Slowik said on Saturday.

The rally was scheduled for Sunday at 10:30 p.m. local time in Neukölln district. Organizers said that around 100 people are expected to take part in the rally, but the police said they are expecting more protesters to show up.

"The situation is emotional. An influx of troublemakers is to be expected who could use the meeting to commit crimes. No meeting leader could keep such a development under control. That's why the police banned the demonstration," said Slowik.

District mayor of Berlin-Neukölln, Martin Hikel, welcomed the ban, saying that the rally may cause unrest instead of expressing solidarity with people in Gaza. 

"That's why it's understandable to ban the rally," he said, according to Deutsche Welle.

Israel launched its massive air and ground strikes in the Gaza Strip in response to the Hamas attacks on October 7, when the terror group killed over 1,100 Israelis and kidnapped some 200 others.

Israeli strikes killed nearly 21,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported, citing the latest figures by the Gaza Health Ministry. 

The Israel-Hamas war sparked pro-Palestine protests worldwide, calling for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which is home to over 2.2 million people.

Germany has previously banned pro-Palestinian protests over fears of unrest and arrested over 170 protesters from those demonstrations in October, according to Deutsche Welle.