Israel's war in Gaza | Palestine demonstration in Berlin: Together against the war

Finally! After almost two years of war in Gaza, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Berlin on Saturday. Figures vary: Police say 12,000, organizers say up to 50,000 people took to the streets to protest the hunger blockade and Germany's shared responsibility for Israel's war. The Merz government will likely remain unfazed. But at least a visible protest is forming. This is also crucial because Germany is Israel's second-largest supporter and could actually make a difference.

The Springer press is once again accusing the demonstrators of anti-Semitism. But that shouldn't come as a surprise. For Germany's leading media group, it's all about backing Trump and Netanyahu in their plans to reorganize the Middle East. Anyone who talks about the attitudes of individual demonstrators might as well keep quiet about the deaths of two million people in Gaza.

Read the report on the topic: 40,000 at Palestine demonstration in Berlin – Tens of thousands protest against the war in Gaza and for compliance with international law

Nevertheless, a left-wing solidarity movement, if it finally emerges, must strengthen universalist positions. Palestinian speakers frequently referred to Jewish opponents of the occupation as brothers and sisters on Saturday. This is a good thing, because it is important to repeatedly emphasize the distinction between Jews and the belligerent state of Israel.

But the fact that many Iranian and, in some cases, Turkish flags were displayed at the demonstration went completely unnoticed. As if the mullah regime or Erdoğan's Turkey hadn't waged similarly illegal wars in Syria, Lebanon, Kurdistan, and elsewhere. Those who express solidarity with Palestine must not push the women in Iran or the Kurds in Turkey under the bus.

But to be able to ask such questions, one must first participate in movements. The Left Party, which is planning its first demonstration at the end of July, was again not among those calling for action yesterday – apart from a few sections. But political credibility also depends on speed: Those who stay out of the way for too long will no longer be heard.

In this sense, the German left could learn from the queer Berlin scene, which has demonstrated considerable internationalist solidarity since 2023. Most trans people and queer feminists undoubtedly realize that they would have little to laugh about under Hamas. Nevertheless, they express solidarity with Muslim families who have been driven almost mad by fear for their loved ones in Palestine for years, not just since October 2023. For them, the phrase "Never again is now" means that every mass incarceration, every genocide, must be prevented.

The fact that anti-Zionist Jews, religious people, trans women, and queers of all races took to the streets together this weekend is an important step. Now the focus should be on infusing the anti-war protests with universalist content. The extent of the general confusion was demonstrated not only by the Erdoğan and Khamenei fans, who are outraged by the war crimes of some and enthusiastic about them in others, but also by several dozen pro-Israel counter-demonstrators. Completely masked in black, one of the participants waved his red Antifa flag – protected by a hundred heavily armed police officers.

The fact that the Berlin police had no objections to the disguises and the red Antifa flag in this case says it all. The Middle East conflict is always about power asymmetries. This, too, should be taken into account in the debate.