Activists Raise Palestinian Flag Outside German Parliament in Arms Protest

Berlin, MINA – Germany’s national flag was replaced by a Palestinian flag on a flagpole in front of parliament on Sunday, as activists denounced the government’s pro-Israeli policy and its silence on war crimes in Gaza, according to Anadolu Agency.

The group Peacefully Against Genocide said the action was meant to show solidarity with people in Palestine and to protest German politicians’ failure to act against grave human rights violations and genocide targeting Palestinians.

Aaron, a member of the group, said in a press release that governments worldwide do not act in the name of the people when they stay silent on, permit, or support genocide in Palestine. “No matter where in the world a genocide is committed, it affects us all,” he added. “We must not shirk our responsibility to stop crimes against humanity.”

He said the group wanted to send a message to the German people and questioned what “never again” means if people allow it to happen again. “What does international law mean if governments do not abide by it? What are human rights worth if they do not apply to everyone?” he asked.

“When a living hell becomes reality, we as civil society must embrace our responsibility and take a stand for freedom and for the lives of all,” he added.

Berlin police said three activists were arrested at the scene and an investigation was launched on suspicion of insulting the state and state symbols.

The group announced further protests in the coming days against the German government’s policy and continued arms supplies to Israel, including calls for arms manufacturer Rheinmetall to halt all deliveries to Israel and shut down its Berlin facility.

The flag action is part of a sustained campaign by Peacefully Against Genocide that has focused on Germany’s role as an arms supplier to Israel.

In April, seven activists from the group staged a sit in at the entrance of the Rheinmetall premises in Berlin’s Wedding district, gluing their hands to the ground to protest the company over allegations of supplying weapons to Israel.

In July, climate activist Greta Thunberg was detained during a Peacefully Against Genocide protest in front of Rheinmetall’s offices near the Brandenburg Gate.

The group has also disrupted German Armed Forces Day events in Munich and Unna, and its actions have extended beyond Germany. In July, a pro-Palestine coalition called on the incoming UK prime minister to impose comprehensive sanctions on Israel, and in Scotland, pro-Palestine groups criticized the SNP’s failure to hold a vote on an Israel boycott.

The choice of the flagpole in front of parliament, and the replacement of Germany’s national flag with a Palestinian one, is symbolically significant.

It directs the protest at the institution where German policy is made rather than at a private company, and the decision by Berlin police to investigate on suspicion of insulting state symbols indicates that the action is being treated as a legal matter as well as a political statement.

The arrests and investigation raise questions about the boundaries of protest in Germany, where criticism of Israel has been subject to legal scrutiny in recent years.

The group’s invocation of “never again,” a phrase central to German memory of the Holocaust, is an attempt to reframe the debate around universal human rights obligations rather than particular national commitments.

The action comes as Gaza’s displaced population faces a compounding winter crisis. The first storm of the season flooded around 70,000 tents within 12 hours, causing an estimated $3 million in direct losses, while civil defense crews answered only 218 of 2,166 distress calls.

UNRWA has warned that nearly two million Palestinians urgently need shelter assistance, and the Coalition of Charitable and Humanitarian Organizations in Gaza has appealed to ceasefire guarantors to press Israel to open crossings for shelter materials and heavy equipment.

The protest also unfolds amid political shifts that may affect the arms trade debate. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he had agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end annual US security assistance to Israel by the end of this year, while Senator elect Abdul El-Sayed has backed the cut. Those developments in Washington may embolden European governments to reconsider their own arms relationships with Israel, a shift the Berlin activists are seeking to accelerate.[]

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)