Overview

• On August 9, Die Linke’s pro-Palestinian solidarity festival moved from Neukölln to a riverside site in Kreuzberg after the Evangelische Kirche in Neukölln rescinded its venue approval.
• Berlin police estimated about 350 attendees at the peaceful gathering, which featured calls for a cease-fire, an end to arms deliveries to Israel and international humanitarian support.
• Federal Antisemitism Commissioner Felix Klein labeled the festival “skandalös” for its cooperation with the Vereinigte Palästinensische Nationalkomitee, an umbrella group linked by the Verfassungsschutz to Hamas and the PFLP.
• Dozens of protesters organized by Werteinitiative and Junge Liberale Berlin displayed banners reading “Gemeinsam gegen linken, rechten und islamistischen Antisemitismus” to denounce the event’s perceived support for terror affiliates.
• Die Linke Berlin-Neukölln defended the festival as a humanitarian gesture for Palestinians and rejected accusations of extremist ties despite ongoing institutional criticism.