More than 3,500 people took part in a pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel demonstration in Berlin’s government district on Saturday, according to police.
The protesters gathered in the afternoon opposite the Federal Chancellery, waving Palestinian flags and carrying banners, before setting off on a march through the city centre.
One large banner read “Staatsräson Genocide,” a reference to Germany’s commitment to Israel’s security as a matter of national policy. Another declared “End the Terror of Occupation.”
Demonstrators chanted “Free Palestine” and “Fuck you Israel.”
A small group of counter-protesters carrying Israeli flags called out “Free Berlin from Hamas!”
The demonstration, held under the slogan “United4Palestine – No Peace on Stolen Land,” had been registered with authorities for up to 3,000 participants.
Protests following October 7 attacks
The demonstration came three years after the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel by militants from the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement, which killed more than 1,000 people.
Israel launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip days later, which has since killed tens of thousands of people.
The war has sparked repeated demonstrations in Berlin.
Around 14,000 people attended a similarly named protest in October 2025, during which physical assaults and anti-Semitic symbols and slogans were reported. Police arrested around 30 people.
Clashes with police and arrests also occurred during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Berlin on Wednesday evening.
Several smaller demonstrations in support of Israel and against Islamist terrorism were also registered across central Berlin on Saturday.
Berlin police said around 1,400 officers were being deployed to manage the various demonstrations, including reinforcements from other German states and the federal police.