٠٠:٠٥:٣٠Thousands flooded the streets of Berlin on Thursday to demand an end to Israel's war on Gaza after almost a year of fighting as Germans celebrated Unification Day.
Footage shows protesters marching through a sea of Palestinian flags and anti-war banners, chanting and calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to German arms exports to Israel. The demonstration also demanded an end to the hostilities in Lebanon.
"I think Germany won't change the game […] The people can change the game. The people can put pressure on Germany and say, don't use the money for weapons," one protester said.
"Use it in the schools, in the hospitals, we need that […] I think if the movement is from below, it can change […] If the people rise up, Germany could be under pressure to stop sending weapons," he continued.
The demonstration comes after Israel said Iran would 'pay' after it fired a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday in response to the killings of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
"I'm not on the side of Iran's government, of course, but the escalation, the main blame is on Israel. Israel is at war with five countries at the same time […] These are not my words. These are the ICJ's (International Court of Justice) words," he added.
After much international pressure, the German government appears to have silently slowed arms exports to Israel since the start of the year. Exports skyrocketed immediately after the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023.
One demonstrator stated that they had gathered to "show that we are against arms deliveries and against war and rearmament because savings are being made everywhere in the social sector."
"One is, of course, the delivery of weapons and arms, which has been stopped to some extent, but also other kinds of equipment and support that can be used in military contexts," he said. The second part, he stated, was Germany's 'political weight' in the West and the European Union.
He added that Germany should consider "our own history, given the crimes we have committed, to say never means never for anyone."
There has been a dramatic surge in the violence after Israel widened its military operations, launching air strikes against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen alongside a ground invasion across the Lebanese border. More than one million people in Lebanon have been forced to flee the fighting.
Hezbollah, Lebanese and Palestinian factions have been exchanging cross-border shelling with Israeli forces since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
'The people can change the game' - Anti-war protest storms through Berlin ahead of Unification Day celebrations
Thousands flooded the streets of Berlin on Thursday to demand an end to Israel's war on Gaza after almost a year of fighting as Germans celebrated Unification Day.
Footage shows protesters marching through a sea of Palestinian flags and anti-war banners, chanting and calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to German arms exports to Israel. The demonstration also demanded an end to the hostilities in Lebanon.
"I think Germany won't change the game […] The people can change the game. The people can put pressure on Germany and say, don't use the money for weapons," one protester said.
"Use it in the schools, in the hospitals, we need that […] I think if the movement is from below, it can change […] If the people rise up, Germany could be under pressure to stop sending weapons," he continued.
The demonstration comes after Israel said Iran would 'pay' after it fired a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday in response to the killings of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
"I'm not on the side of Iran's government, of course, but the escalation, the main blame is on Israel. Israel is at war with five countries at the same time […] These are not my words. These are the ICJ's (International Court of Justice) words," he added.
After much international pressure, the German government appears to have silently slowed arms exports to Israel since the start of the year. Exports skyrocketed immediately after the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023.
One demonstrator stated that they had gathered to "show that we are against arms deliveries and against war and rearmament because savings are being made everywhere in the social sector."
"One is, of course, the delivery of weapons and arms, which has been stopped to some extent, but also other kinds of equipment and support that can be used in military contexts," he said. The second part, he stated, was Germany's 'political weight' in the West and the European Union.
He added that Germany should consider "our own history, given the crimes we have committed, to say never means never for anyone."
There has been a dramatic surge in the violence after Israel widened its military operations, launching air strikes against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen alongside a ground invasion across the Lebanese border. More than one million people in Lebanon have been forced to flee the fighting.
Hezbollah, Lebanese and Palestinian factions have been exchanging cross-border shelling with Israeli forces since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Thousands flooded the streets of Berlin on Thursday to demand an end to Israel's war on Gaza after almost a year of fighting as Germans celebrated Unification Day.
Footage shows protesters marching through a sea of Palestinian flags and anti-war banners, chanting and calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to German arms exports to Israel. The demonstration also demanded an end to the hostilities in Lebanon.
"I think Germany won't change the game […] The people can change the game. The people can put pressure on Germany and say, don't use the money for weapons," one protester said.
"Use it in the schools, in the hospitals, we need that […] I think if the movement is from below, it can change […] If the people rise up, Germany could be under pressure to stop sending weapons," he continued.
The demonstration comes after Israel said Iran would 'pay' after it fired a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday in response to the killings of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
"I'm not on the side of Iran's government, of course, but the escalation, the main blame is on Israel. Israel is at war with five countries at the same time […] These are not my words. These are the ICJ's (International Court of Justice) words," he added.
After much international pressure, the German government appears to have silently slowed arms exports to Israel since the start of the year. Exports skyrocketed immediately after the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023.
One demonstrator stated that they had gathered to "show that we are against arms deliveries and against war and rearmament because savings are being made everywhere in the social sector."
"One is, of course, the delivery of weapons and arms, which has been stopped to some extent, but also other kinds of equipment and support that can be used in military contexts," he said. The second part, he stated, was Germany's 'political weight' in the West and the European Union.
He added that Germany should consider "our own history, given the crimes we have committed, to say never means never for anyone."
There has been a dramatic surge in the violence after Israel widened its military operations, launching air strikes against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen alongside a ground invasion across the Lebanese border. More than one million people in Lebanon have been forced to flee the fighting.
Hezbollah, Lebanese and Palestinian factions have been exchanging cross-border shelling with Israeli forces since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.