Activists swap German flag for Palestinian banner on Reichstag
Three people were arrested in Berlin after a man climbed a 28-meter pole to replace the national flag, an action a local group said was meant to protest government silence on Gaza.
By Thabo Hoffmann ·
A man climbed a flagpole outside the German parliament in Berlin on Sunday and replaced the national flag with a Palestinian banner. The act marks the latest in a series of similar demonstrations at prominent European landmarks.
The pole stands more than 28 meters high. It flies the Flag of Unity, which represents the country's reunification in 1990. The Palestinian flag remained at the top for approximately one hour before authorities removed it. Police arrested the climber and two accomplices. The two others filmed the ascent. German police suspect the group of insulting state symbols.
Peacefully Against Genocide, a German anti-Israel organization, claimed responsibility for the incident. The group posted on Instagram that it raised the flag to oppose what it called a genocide in Palestine. It stated that governments remain silent while they condone or support the conflict. The organization said it would make the violence visible and oppose it through resistance.
This group also organized a protest at the Brandenburg Gate one year ago. Activists used a cherry picker to scale the monument and display a banner reading, "Never again genocide. Freedom for Palestine." Police deployed 75 officers and rescue climbers to detain the protesters. Six activists were detained during that event.
Similar actions have occurred elsewhere in Europe. Activists have flown the Palestinian flag from Big Ben in London and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. In Amsterdam, tens of thousands of people gathered on Sunday for a protest against the war in Gaza. Organizers estimated that 200,000 people attended the rally. Many participants wore red to mark a specific line of protest.
Steven Eisinger, a 33-year-old robotics engineer from the United States, attended the Amsterdam rally. He said he supported Palestine and opposed the violence. He noted that he is Jewish and has family living in Israel. The Dutch government recently banned products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. This move followed a period of regular Israeli strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza and increased settler violence in the West Bank.
