Welcome to Berlin, during the 2023 Hamas-Israel conflict. My neighbourhood, Neukölln, is home to many people of Arab descent, including children of Palestinian refugees. And some of my neighbours were clearly angry about what they saw as Europe's unconditional support for the ongoing Israeli bombing of Gaza.
Another demonstration elsewhere in Berlin the same night had been very different: maybe 300 people, all tip-toeing carefully around Germany's increasingly diffuse definition of anti Semitism to voice their discontent. For example, they avoided the slogan - "Palestine will be free, from the river to the sea" - because it implies denial of the State of Israel's right to exist.
The demonstrators were peaceful but the police were not. "Why are you pushing me?" one middle-aged German woman cried out, eyes brimming. Another young woman, shoved heftily from behind by an officer, tripped and fell. Despite brandishing my press pass like a small, ineffective plastic shield, I got a whack, too.
This story is from the November 04-10 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.
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This story is from the November 04-10 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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