1,100 protesters gathered at an Islamist rally in Germany, amid worldwide anti-Israel demonstrations
More than 1,000 protesters gathered in Hamburg, Germany, to take part in an Islamist demonstration over the weekend, German media reported.
According to German newspaper Die Welt, the demonstration took place in Hamburg’s Steindum neighborhood on Saturday afternoon.
Muslim protesters held a variety of signs in support of Islamic fundamentalism. One of the symbols reads “Kalifat ist die losung,” which means “Caliphate is settled.”
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Protesters also chanted “Allahu Akbar” which means “God is great” in Arabic. Hamburg police told Die Welt that around 1,100 people took part.
The protest was reportedly organized by a group called Muslim Interactive. According to the organization’s social media, the protest is “intended to stand against the demon[a] of all Islamic life in Germany.”
“We will raise our voices together, inshallah,” read a translated post on X. “Together Against Islamophobic Reporting in Recent Weeks and Recent Months.”
The Hamburg protests came as anti-Israel protests intensified around the world, but the Israel-Hamas war entered its eighth month. In the U.S., protesters at Columbia University, Harvard University, the University of Texas at Austin, and other schools set up tents on their university quads as a sign of solidarity with the Palestinians.
The war began on October 7 when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. Nearly 1,200 Israeli civilians were killed in a violent response from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Israel’s military response has been criticized by anti-war groups for exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with IDF supporters blaming Hamas. In December, police in Berlin banned a pro-Palestinian rally on New Year’s Eve, fearing potential chaos and crime.
“The situation is tense,” Berlin police chief Barbara Slovic said at the time. “One can imagine the influx of miscreants who could use this meeting to commit crimes. No meeting leader can control such a development. That’s why the police banned the demonstration.”