Pro-Palestinian activists staged a demonstration outside Germany’s parliament complex on Sunday, raising a Palestinian flag to protest Israel’s military operations in Gaza and Berlin’s continued military support for the Israeli government.
The action was claimed by the group Peacefully Against Genocide, which said the protest was intended to express solidarity with Palestinians and draw global attention to the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
According to the German daily tageszeitung (taz), a 22-year-old activist climbed a flagpole roughly 28.5 meters tall with the assistance of two others on the ground before affixing the flag.
The climber remained secured at the top for approximately one hour using specialized climbing equipment before descending independently at around 12:30 pm local time.
Daniel Göbel, a representative of Peacefully Against Genocide present at the scene, accused Germany of complicity in Israel’s actions, citing the continued export of German-made weapons to Israel and calling for accountability.
Berlin police temporarily detained the 22-year-old protester and verified the identities of two other participants, aged 20 and 32, who were subsequently ordered to leave the area.
Law enforcement authorities launched an investigation into possible offenses, including the disparagement of state symbols, damage to public property, violations of Berlin’s assembly laws, and trespassing. The case has been referred to the State Security division of the Berlin State Criminal Police Office.
The protest occurred at a symbolically significant site; since German reunification in 1990, the flagpole outside the Reichstag has flown the Flag of Unity, emblematic of the nation’s reunification.
By replacing the unity flag with a Palestinian one, activists aimed to highlight Germany’s political stance on the Gaza conflict and its military relationship with Israel.
The demonstration forms part of a broader wave of pro-Palestinian protests across Germany, focusing on arms exports to Israel, the government’s political position on the conflict, and the humanitarian consequences of Israeli military operations.
According to tageszeitung, the group organized a similar action approximately one year earlier at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, where activists displayed a Palestinian flag and a protest banner.