Overview
- A 22-year-old climbed the roughly 28–30 metre flagpole at the Reichstag on Sunday, removed the permanently displayed Flagge der Einheit and raised a Palestinian flag that flew for about an hour before firefighters and police removed it.
- Police detained and processed three German men aged 22, 20 and 32 and handed the case to the polizeilicher Staatsschutz on suspicions including Verunglimpfung des Staates, gemeinschädliche Sachbeschädigung, Hausfriedensbruch and a possible breach of Berlin’s assembly law.
- Berlin police said they will adjust outer protection for the Bundestag but noted they lack the staff to guard the mast 24/7, so changes are expected in tactics and procedures rather than a permanent post at the flagpole.
- Prominent politicians across the CDU/CSU condemned the action and called for tougher safeguards around parliament, with some suggesting a return to stricter perimeter rules such as a Bannmeile to limit disruptive protests.
- The action was livestreamed on social media and claimed by the group Peacefully Against Genocide, whose prior disruptive protests have informed police assessments and raise the prospect of new rules on protests and digital amplification.