Protesters gathered in Berlin at Rathaus Neukölln on Saturday, 15 April to mark Palestinian Prisoners’ Day and commemorate 40 days of the assassination of Palestinian youth leader Basil al-Araj, murdered by Israeli occupation forces as he resisted in his apartment in El-Bireh on 6 March. The protest came as part of the Week of Action for Palestinian Prisoners.
The demonstration, organized by the Democratic Palestine Committees with the support of various organizations and groups, came under attack from a pro-Zionist organization, the Green Youth, who threatened to hold a counter-protest and allegedly attempted to call upon the local police to cancel the Palestinian prisoners’ solidarity demonstration. Despite these threats and attempted suppression, the protest was well-attended and participants carried signs and banners in German, Arabic and English demanding freedom for all Palestinian prisoners. In their report on the protest, Jugendwiderstand noted that the protest included a large number of Palestinian and Arab youth who led chants, including “Thawra, thawra hatta al-Nasr” (Revolution until victory) and “Intifada bis zum Sieg!” (Intifada until victory)
Participants in the demonstration played Palestinian music and danced dabkeh while waving Palestinian flags and urging freedom for imprisoned Palestinians. Speakers included representatives of the Democratic Palestine Committees and FOR-Palestine, among others.
Protesters gathered in Berlin’s Hermannplatz once more on Monday, 17 April as part of the End Security Coordination actions called for by Palestinian youth. Participants gathered in the square with signs and flags, commemorating the assassination of Basil al-Araj and denouncing the Palestinian Authority’s policy of security coordination that saw al-Araj and his comrades imprisoned for over five months following PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ trumpeting of their arrest as a victory for security coordination.
Participants spoke about PA security coordination with Israel and the ongoing threat that it poses to the Palestinian people’s resistance and organizing, while highlighting the struggle of Palestinian prisoners for freedom. The protest also coincided with the launch of the hunger strike of Palestinian prisoners, and participants saluted the strike, urging victory for their demands and freedom for all prisoners.
