German police arrest seven-year-old children at Gaza demonstrations

Berlin police arrest children in pro-Palestinian demonstrationswhat activists say represents a shocking escalation of already widespread police violence against pro-Palestinian voices.

The most recent confirmed arrest of children involved the arrest of a 7-year-old boy in early June for allegedly hitting a police officer’s helmet with his flag. In a witness statement The New Arab (TNA)The boy’s father said he was carrying his son on his shoulders during a march when the two were suddenly surrounded by police officers who charged at the crowd and then led them to a police car.

Police confirmed by email that a 7-year-old was arrested on suspicion of “attacking” a police officer at the same demonstration in Berlin. Police said TNA that six children under the age of 16 were arrested on June 8.

In a video posted on social media, the child can be seen screaming in a state of extreme despair as he and his father are surrounded and grabbed by eleven police officers in riot gear.

The father says the child is now suffering from anxiety and needs psychological treatment as a result of the incident.

In another incident on the same day, a 13-year-old was handcuffed and dragged away by police officers after he made a rude hand gesture towards an officer using a controversial “pain hold”. Berlin police confirmed that a 13-year-old was arrested “on suspicion of insult”, which is a criminal offence under German law.

A few weeks earlier, on May 29, an incident was reported in which two young people were repeatedly hit in the face by police officers at the entrance to a building on Berlin’s Sonnenallee. Amnesty International Germany condemned this incident of police violence and called for an investigation into allegations of unlawful police action.

Alarming increase in sexual violence

In an open letter to Berlin’s Interior Senator and Police Chief, activists allege that this is one of several cases of police violence against children. “Numerous cases show that the police do not ensure the vital protection of minors by violently arresting children and young people in handcuffs, sometimes without informing their parents,” their statement says.

Activists also claim that women have been victims of sexual violence at the hands of the police. They report assaults and sexualized insults, as well as the violent arrest of an obviously pregnant demonstrator. The Berlin police press office has not commented on these allegations by the time this article went to press.

The European Legal Support Center stated in a press release on June 11 that police violence was merely an intimidation tactic, as dozens of cases were dropped. “Since October last year, countless criminal charges and administrative offenses have been filed against the Palestinian solidarity movement in a wave of escalating state repression. But as we expected, dozens of cases have been dropped since then.”

“The outcome of the court case shows that the repression is primarily intended to intimidate the Palestinian movement. This intimidation particularly affects people whose residency status is financially and/or legally at risk. This is a form of structural racist violence,” the press release states.

Mohammed, a Palestinian who took part in the June 8 protests, said he believes the police presence is getting stronger each time. “I witnessed the arrest of a Jewish man who was arrested for holding a sign that said ‘From the river somewhere to the West.’ The protester was brutally arrested. These attempts to criminalize people on the street are unbelievable.”

A video of the arrest of a man wearing a kippah was shared on social media. The Berlin police were unable to comment at the time of going to press.

Faisal, who also witnessed the increasing police violence on June 8, spoke to TNA.

“The police will tell you to move and can sometimes tell very well that you have absolutely nowhere to go. Your feet barely have enough room to stay upright.

“If you don’t follow orders, the police will use force. This force ranges from shoving (enough to knock most people over) to direct punches to the face and neck, kicks to the shins and groin, and head grabs that result in you being literally dragged by the neck into custody.

Protesters assured security, then they were injured

Pro-Palestinian activist Yasemin Acar recalls that she experienced the greatest violence from the Berlin police at the most recent demonstration on July 14. “Before the demonstration began, there were phone calls between the police and the organizers who had registered the demo. They were assured that this time everything would go smoothly.”

“We wondered if this was an admission that things were going to change. Could the state finally admit its racism towards Palestinians and try to address it?” Acar quickly realized that the answer was no, because the police suddenly became aggressive.

She says she was attacked from behind while documenting another arrest and that officers surrounded her: “One of them pushed me so hard that I fell and hit my head on the asphalt. My arm, head and neck were injured and an ambulance had to take me to the hospital. Many others were also hospitalized and one person even had his arm broken. We count more than 50 arrests.”

“I have a feeling this was planned,” Acar said.

“They provoked protesters, arrested people and cancelled the protest without justification… They had to create chaos to justify their brutal actions.”

Hebh Jamal is a Palestinian-American journalist based in Germany.