On Saturday night, a group of pro-Palestinian protesters caused a stir by storming the State Criminal Police Office in Berlin-Tempelhof, shouting banned slogans and leaving behind Hamas-related graffiti. According to the agency, some slogans glorified terrorism, and symbols linked to Hamas, an Islamist group, were painted on the building’s front door.
The demonstration unfolded around 9 p.m., with approximately 50 individuals gathered outside the police office. The group reportedly planned to welcome a woman being released from preventive detention. During her discharge, protesters pushed into the building’s lobby and chanted the same illegal slogan that had led to the woman’s arrest in the first place.
Police officers swiftly removed the group from the premises, using force to regain control. Outside the entrance, authorities discovered painted Hamas symbols, including the red triangle used in the group’s propaganda videos to mark targets.
In response, officers detained 19 individuals from the group and recorded their personal details. Investigations are now underway, with state protection pursuing charges for supporting unconstitutional and terrorist organizations, while the police investigate trespassing.
This incident is part of a troubling pattern of attacks linked to pro-Palestinian or Islamist actors in Germany. Following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, there has been a noticeable rise in confrontations targeting state entities, police, and academic institutions.
For instance, in September, a supporter of the Islamic State attacked a Koblenz police station with a machete while shouting “Allahu Akbar.” Similarly, during pro-Palestine demonstrations, police officers have faced physical assaults, with stones and pyrotechnics thrown at them. On the first anniversary of the October 7 attack, officers were targeted with similar violence.
Over the summer, several German universities were vandalized and occupied by protest groups. Berlin’s Free University and Humboldt University have been repeatedly targeted, their facilities defaced during protests.
These recurring incidents highlight escalating tensions and underline the need for vigilance against threats to public institutions and security forces in Germany.
