Names marked with an asterisk have been changed to protect identities.
Berlin, Germany – It’s a gray, rainy mid-morning on Sonnenallee, commonly known as Berlin’s “Arab Street.”
Since late last year, large-scale protests have erupted here in the Neukölln district of the German capital, reportedly followed by police crackdowns described by pro-Palestinian demonstrators as shocking and violent .
Residents Francesca Leone, 31, and Lea*, 27, joined thousands of people across Germany who have regularly taken to the streets since October 7, when the latest escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict began , to demand the rights of the Palestinians and urge Germany. reconsider its unwavering support for Israel.
Lea, who arrived in Germany in 2015 to seek refuge in Syria, said she was arrested recently during a protest. She asked Tel Aviv Tribune not to disclose her real name, fearing her employer would take action against her.
In addition, she added, searches took place at the homes of pro-Palestinian supporters.
“(Neukoelln) has always been a political space for me, a place where many people with very unstable resident status could live,” she said.
“It was a shock to me to witness such a level of police violence. The authorities did not take into account that this is a place where people receive news of the death of their family in Gaza, it is a place where they want to express their grief and anger .”
She said recent tensions had changed her “perception as a refugee” as she alleged a high level of racial profiling during arrests during the protests.
“Germany was one of the few countries to welcome us after fleeing a conflict zone, but now they are terrorizing and criminalizing me and many others,” she said.
Leone and Lea first met during the protests and quickly became close.
Leone, a Palestinian born in Germany, said the war has affected her life in ways she didn’t anticipate.
“My personal life has completely changed,” she said. “I was patient at first and waited for people in my inner circle and wider circles to show me support. But then it became clear that there would be limits to their solidarity.”
She described the support of some left-wing Germans as conditional.
“(They) told me they wouldn’t go to a protest unless certain conditions were met, like not walking next to someone chanting ‘From the river to the sea’ or someone wearing the keffiyeh. Even though they know that I am Palestinian and that my family fled there, it was not enough to say that I stand with Palestine. So I had to say goodbye to a lot of people.
Berlin police have denied racial profiling of protesters, saying their officers are trained to take a “dialogue-based approach.”
A spokesperson told Tel Aviv Tribune that from October 7 to March 5, 112 pro-Palestinian events took place in the state of Berlin.
The Federal Police, Germany’s central criminal investigation agency, said that as of March 11, 1,349 “measures restricting freedoms” had been taken across the country in connection with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but no He did not specify whether these measures were favorable or favorable to Palestine. Events in Israel.
Restrictions of liberty are short-term measures, such as briefly detaining a protester for questioning before releasing them.
Home to Europe’s largest Palestinian diaspora, numbering 30,000, Germany has been one of Israel’s staunchest allies in recent months.
Speaking to members of the Arab-German community in the Sonnenallee, there is an atmosphere of fear that thickens the air. Interview requests are often refused.
A young man working in a store decorated with Palestinian flags and keffiyehs told Tel Aviv Tribune that his manager told him not to give media interviews because German authorities might closely monitor the store.
Such a visible show of support for Palestine, he said, means that authorities could suspect them of having links to Hamas, which Germany, like the United States, the United Kingdom and the designated as a terrorist group by the European Union.
Israel has said it wants to crush Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, after the group carried out an attack in southern Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,139 people. Since then, the Israeli campaign in Gaza has killed more than 30,000 people, mostly women and children.
While several countries have warned Israel to slow down its offensive, citing the heavy civilian toll, Germany has remained resolutely alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Rashid* is an Egyptian who has lived in Berlin for over a decade and works in a restaurant near Sonnenallee.
He said it had been difficult to get to work lately.
“The scenes were terrible, with police arresting and attacking people. I was very afraid that the police would arrest me and accuse me of links to Hamas,” he told Tel Aviv Tribune.
He feels grateful for South Africa’s efforts at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel, but has little hope the case will have an impact.
“We saw a new actor in this issue with South Africa and even if it surprised me, I can understand because the South African people experienced something similar with apartheid,” he said. -he declares. “But I don’t think it will make a difference because Israel has always ignored international law.
“The belief in Germany is that anything that threatens Israel’s existence must be fought, and that is why they reject the Palestinian experience. »
Since the beginning of October, German authorities have been increasingly accused of trying to silence pro-Palestinian demonstrators, including those who simply show their support for Gaza in messages on social networks, provoking negative reactions.
In the arts sector, an anti-discrimination clause required applicants for cultural funding in Berlin to conform to an official definition of anti-Semitism. But after critics claimed it could restrict legitimate criticism of Israel and 6,000 cultural workers signed an open letter of opposition, the clause was removed in January.
Meanwhile, Oyoun, an important cultural center in Neukölln, lost state funding after holding events aimed at raising awareness of the plight of the Palestinians.
The people of Neukölln, originally from the Middle East, say they are preparing for a long road ahead.
“This is a fight that will not end once the genocide is over, it is also a fight for our rights as refugees and immigrants in a country that has a very rich history of fascism,” Lea said. “It’s a long and important process in which we have to provide communities and spaces for ourselves, to grieve and empower ourselves to deal with this very intense violence and racism.”
“Things may have calmed down in the streets, but you still see the fear in people’s eyes when you talk to them,” Rashid said. “People on the street don’t talk much, but you know what’s on their minds and in their hearts. This is the time when people from different backgrounds must come together and unite alongside the Palestinian people.