(Deutsche Welle) Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters snaked through the streets of the German capital on Saturday shouting anti-Israel slogans against the backdrop of rising concerns about anti-Semitism in the country.
Of the 2,000 banner and flag-waving protesters in the al-Quds march some chanted “Child murderer Israel” and “Zionism is racism,” while others in the same protest expressed support for Palestinians with signs reading “Free Gaza” and “Palestine will be reborn!” At the same time, demonstrators sought to dispel accusations they were anti-Jewish by shouting, “Anti-Semitism is a disgrace.”
The annual al-Quds Day march, or Jerusalem Day in Arabic, came as German officials, from the president to the country’s anti-Semitism commissioner, called on people to show solidarity with Israel and Jews at a time anti-Semitic crimes in Germany have increased, the vast majority committed by right-wing extremists. Others, including the Central Council of Jews in Germany, called for the al-Quds march to be banned.
