A 22-year-old German man climbed a flagpole outside the German parliament building, the Bundestag, in Berlin, removed the German flag and replaced it with a Palestinian flag in protest against the German government’s position on Israel’s ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, Middle East Monitor reported.
The man, identified as Aaron, carried out the protest on the morning of Sunday, 8 November, alongside activists from a group called Peacefully Against Genocide. Police later detained him and two other participants.
The protesters filmed the Palestinian flag being raised and broadcast the footage live on TikTok. The incident triggered political and security reactions, prompting German authorities to launch investigations and review security measures around the parliament building.
Aaron, a physics and computer science student in Heidelberg, told Al Jazeera that his action was intended to protest against German policies towards the war in Gaza and send a direct message to lawmakers inside parliament.
On Saturday, hundreds of people gathered in Berlin to demonstrate in support of Palestine and against German arms supplies to Israel, Anadolu reported.
Protesters assembled on Osloer Street before marching toward Wedding metro station, condemning Israel’s occupation and seizure of Palestinian land.
Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and carried placards calling for an end to Israeli military operations and German weapons shipments to Israel.
