Agency Report –
A pro-Palestinian march in the Berlin district of Kreuzberg on Thursday has been marred by violent clashes between demonstrators and police.
A policeman was reportedly dragged into the crowd by aggressive demonstrators, trampled and seriously injured, police spokesman Florian Nath told dpa.
The policeman was treated by an emergency doctor, provided with oxygen and painkillers, and taken to hospital. Nath also mentioned a defibrillator. Other officers were reportedly injured. At least one policeman was found to have broken bones in his hand.
More than 30 demonstrators were arrested for various offences such as assaults, according to the spokesman.
Rioters threw drink cans and other objects at police officers and sprayed them with red paint. Police also reported that bottles and a stone were thrown.
Police officers in riot gear attempted to push back the crowd of demonstrators. The police also brought in a water cannon, but did not use it initially.
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner condemned the incidents, calling the attack on the police officer a “cowardly, brutal act of violence.”
He said Berlin remains an open and tolerant city, but warned that “those who misuse the right to demonstrate to spread hate, anti-Semitic incitement, or violence will face the full force of the law.”
Around 1,100 people in Palestinian colours gathered to mark the Palestinian day of remembrance, known as Nakba, where they commemorate the mass displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the 1948 war that led to the establishment of the state of Israel.
By Andreas Rabenstein and Marion van der Kraats
