Police, Pro-Palestinian protesters clash at Berlin Free University 

 

BERLIN – Pro-Palestinian activists occupied a courtyard at Berlin’s Free University on Tuesday, calling for student resistance across Germany in solidarity with people in the Gaza Strip.

Around 80 to 100 people were involved, according to estimates by a university spokeswoman. The university announced it would swiftly put a halt to the protest. “The FU has ordered the evacuation and called the police,” the spokeswoman said.

The activists of the Student Coalition Berlin group called for the occupation of German universities and demanded an end to “colonial oppression.” Several tents could be seen on pictures posted by the group on Instagram.

However the German Police has stepped in to break up  the pro-Palestinian student protest at Berlin’s Free University.

Around 100 activists of the Student Coalition Berlin group occupied the university courtyard with tents on Tuesday morning in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Police began removing individual groups of demonstrators from the site in the early afternoon. The officers had previously cut off additional support from the activists.

The protestors were told by a police announcement to end the occupation and clear the site.

Earlier, the university announced it would swiftly put a halt to the protest. “The FU has ordered the evacuation and called the police,” a spokeswoman said.

On Friday, an estimated 150 activists protested at Humboldt University in Berlin. The protesters demanded a lecture theatre as the venue for the rally, which the university management refused to grant. Police later opened 37 investigations into possible cases of incitement to hatred and resisting law enforcement officers.

For more than two weeks, there have been protests at numerous universities in the United States, Britain and other countries against the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.