Pro-Palestinian activists roughly detained during Berlin demonstration
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- Pro-Palestinian activists blockaded a Rheinmetall facility in Berlin.
- Protesters demanded an end to ammunition supplies for the Israeli military.
- Police dispersed the demonstration, detaining about 60 people and arresting two.
- The targeted Berlin plant now produces key artillery components.
Police clashed with anti-war activists in Berlin early Thursday morning after a pro-Palestinian demonstration attempted to block all vehicular access to a major factory owned by German defense contractor Rheinmetall.
The sit-in was organized as part of a weeklong pressure campaign calling for an end to European military assistance to 'Israel'.
The protest converged on the industrial sector of Berlin's Wedding district. Activists associated with the campaign group "Peacefully Against Genocide" sat directly in the path of oncoming traffic, with several individuals attempting to glue themselves to the pavement to create a permanent roadblock outside the facility gates.
Police enforcement
Berlin police units moved in shortly after 6:30 a.m. local time to clear the non-permitted assembly, deploying pepper spray and tactical physical force to dislodge the activists from the pavement.
According to law enforcement officials, approximately 60 protesters were temporarily removed from the area and detained for formal identity verification. Two individuals were placed under full arrest on suspicion of assaulting police officers during the clearing operation.
The targeted Rheinmetall complex has recently drawn intense scrutiny from local human rights networks. Once primarily dedicated to civilian manufacturing and the supply of commercial automotive parts, the factory has been systematically repurposed since last summer.
It now plays an active role in fabricating specialized components for heavy artillery ammunition.
Demonstrators have accused both the executive board of Rheinmetall and the German federal government of structural complicity in the war in Gaza by maintaining ongoing military export licenses to 'Israel'.
In addition to an immediate embargo on foreign ammunition shipments, the activist group is demanding that the company permanently decommission the Berlin-based production plant.
