Berlin, Germany – When Yasemin Akar heard that senior German far-right politicians were holding a meeting to discuss plans for mass deportations, she felt uneasy, especially as someone of Kurdish-Turkish heritage.
She decided to join the street protests against Alternative for Germany (AfD) on January 21st, which eventually attracted more than 100,000 Germans.
“It was very important for me personally to be there. Those of us with immigrant backgrounds in Germany are the most exposed to racist attacks, especially from those who vote for the AfD.” Akar told Al Jazeera.
She and her friends held banners with slogans denouncing fascists and the hard right. They also wanted to raise the Palestinian flag, considering the AfD's position on Palestine amid Israel's brutal onslaught and seeing this as an opportunity to show solidarity with Gaza.
“[But] To be honest, I was a little nervous because I knew the majority of people coming there were white Germans. They seem to be against racism, fascism and the right-wing wave in Germany, but they are still against us too,” she said.
The AfD is notoriously hostile to people with refugee and immigrant backgrounds. It also takes an aggressive stance toward Palestine.
Far-right groups have previously shown strong support for Israel despite Jewish groups describing it as anti-Semitic, and several Western countries have halted funding to UNRWA. As long ago as October, it called for cuts in aid and financial support to the Palestinians.
At the time of publication, AfD officials had not responded to Al Jazeera's requests for comment.
As soon as Acer arrived at the protest, he felt unwelcome.
“As we unfurled the flag and headed to the demonstration, we saw it right away. We literally felt like we looked and felt dirty, but it didn't take long before we were attacked. I didn’t,” she said.
Some demonstrators ordered the Palestinian flag to be taken down as it did not meet the demands of the demonstrations.
Others were physical. Akar said she and her friends pushed her and told her: I'm going to the demo. You don't belong here. ”
When he asked a female police officer for help, he was told that shoving is not considered a crime.
“Honestly, it was sad,” Akal said. “The thing I kept thinking in my head was, what if they surround us and start beating us?”
So many people took part in anti-far-right demonstrations that mobile phone networks went down.
Akar and his friends were separated from the rest of the pro-Palestinian group of about 150 people.
When they reunited, police surrounded them and told them to keep their voices down.
“We came because we wanted to protest the racist politics of the AfD and the racism that pervades Germany as a whole. We therefore have the same rights on arrival and during the march until we leave. “I thought so,” said Georg Ismael, a pro-Palestinian activist who was participating in the demonstration.
At one point, police allegedly prevented the group from joining the main protest route and cornered them for about 90 minutes.
Frustrated and immobilized, the group registered another protest with the police.
“At some point we couldn't really go in any direction. Because of this, we had to announce and register another demo. This was never our intention. There was no. The police know this,” said Ismael, who is also a doctoral student.
A Berlin police spokesperson told Al Jazeera that the “Stop the War in Gaza” march was reported to police on January 21.
“Prior to confirmation of the march route by the police leadership, the participants attempted to move towards Friedrichstrasse. This was initially blocked, but was allowed shortly thereafter with the approval of the police leadership,” the spokesperson said. the person in charge said.
“It has become clear that we are effectively prohibited from joining other demonstrators. To further our movement, the only option left to us is to… It was to register a spontaneous demonstration entitled 'Stop the war in Gaza','' Akar said.
As of this writing, protest organizers had not responded to Al Jazeera's request for comment.
Drol Dayan, a German-Israeli filmmaker sympathetic to the pro-Palestinian movement, said he was not surprised that Akar, Ismael and others were rejected.
“This is nothing new,” he told Al Jazeera. “The mainstream political establishment doesn't like the far right to be racist against immigrants, but it doesn't like them to actually listen to the voices of immigrants in the same way. Doubtless, this is the case when it comes to showing solidarity with Palestine.”
“It is sad that people protesting genocide are excluded from anti-racism demonstrations by people who clearly support this genocide, but it is neither new nor surprising.”
The episode comes as Germany, one of Israel's strongest European allies, faces growing suspicions that it is trying to silence pro-Palestinian support.
The state has banned some demonstrations in support of Gaza and scrutinized banners when demonstrations are allowed to take place. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called on the country's Arab population to distance themselves from Hamas, a comment condemned as an example of collective punishment.
Last month, a group of artists described Germany's alleged repression as “McCarthyist” as it launched a boycott of state funding agencies.
Further protests against the AfD are expected over the coming weeks.
ProAsil, an organization made up of people with immigrant backgrounds, will lead a rally in Berlin on Saturday. Organizers said everyone is welcome to attend the event, including pro-Palestinian protesters.
