How German police are terrorising children in pro-Palestine protests

For Bosnian-Croat mother Amina, the German police’s use of unnecessary force is something she has grown used to in every pro-Palestine protest she has attended in Berlin.

But even then, she was not prepared for the kind of brutality unleashed by the force last week on a group of people demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to Israel’s war on Palestinians that has killed more than 40,000 people since last October.

“It gets more and more obvious that the police brutality is totally arbitrary,” the Berlin-based Amina -name changed- tells TRT World.

“There is a huge chance that someone will be killed because of the choking by police officers on protesters, even if they are minors, women or people with disabilities.”

Germany is among the few nations which have staunchly backed Israel in its war on Gaza, with Berlin providing a steady supply of weapons to the Zionist state.

Analysts say that the use of disproportionate force by German police on pro-Palestinian peaceful protesters – especially children – is reflective of Berlin's stance on the Gaza war.

Videos circulating on social media showed police officers throwing protesters to the ground and beating, dragging, choke holding and punching them in the head.

One video showed a woman protester being grabbed by the neck and thrown to the ground; another woman was choked while pinned on the ground, and a youth was punched by a policeman while tying his hands behind his back.

Amnesty International also called out German police’s brutality last week when more than two dozen protesters were detained in a shocking manner.

“We are concerned by videos and reports of excessive use of force by police against protestors at a Palestine solidarity demonstration in Berlin on Saturday,” Amnesty said in a statement on X.

Amina, who was also part of last week’s protests, says a minor Palestinian protester identified as Mohammed – aged around 13-14 years – was mocked by police officers while he was arrested because he has a cleft lip.

She says Mohammed was just a silent participant and did not shout any pro-Palestine slogans like the other protesters.

“This is clearly racial profiling because he's from Gaza,” Amina says.

Minors in the crosshairs

The targeting of children by police during peaceful demonstrations in European countries has gained global attention over the past few months, with pro-Palestine protesters facing the brunt of the brutality.

In June, a child as young as seven was among several minors arrested by German police in some of the most shocking cases in recent times. A child was charged with hitting a police officer’s helmet with his flag.

Earlier this year, activists had written an open letter to Germany's interior minister and chief of police to highlight police brutality against children and women.

“Numerous cases prove that the police do not safeguard and ensure the vital protection of minors by forcibly taking children and young people into custody in handcuffs, sometimes without informing their parents,” the statement read.

In its 2024 report, Amnesty had flagged increasing police brutality on children during peace demonstrations.

Though not specifically on pro-Palestine protests, the report had mentioned German politicians as being guilty of giving “negative and inflammatory statements” against children.

Amina’s daughter Fatima, 12, is among those children who had faced police brutality while attending a pro-Palestine demonstration last year.

“He (a police officer) pulled me away (from the others)…he took (out) his pepper spray and sprayed it right into my eyes while looking at me,” recalls Fatima, who had cried for help and ran through the crowd before her mother found her.

“The more you attend the demonstrations, the more you understand how the police operate and how they intentionally provoke escalations,” Amina says.

“When they start putting on helmets, you need to go somewhere else. These are signs before they start rampaging.”

Growing racism in Germany

If the police attack on her was not enough, Fatima also experienced toxic racism on social media after a video of police pepper-spraying her went viral on short video-sharing site TikTok.

Fatima says her timeline was flooded with comments like, ‘She must have done something to the police officer’, ‘deserved’ or ‘she should cry in her country’.

But the racism and toxicity isn’t confined to the online space.

Palestinian student, nine-year-old Maryam (name changed), reveals how her teacher in her Life Skills class at a Berlin school mocked her country and narrated a totally twisted version of history.

The teacher told the class that her country “is technically Palestine-Israel” and lied that “40 children were killed in Israel by Palestinian soldiers at a concert”, referring to Hamas’ October 7 cross-border operation.

She recalls some of her classmates mocking her and calling Palestinians “terrorists”, Maryam says she returned home depressed.

When her mother Hajar – named changed – confronted the teacher at school, he brushed aside her concerns, saying he was just conveying the news.

For Maryam and Hajar, however, the school incident is just another ordeal they have faced in Germany over their Palestinian heritage.

They still remember the chilling stares of police personnel who had accosted them on a Berlin street in April.

The mother-daughter duo were part of a group of people protesting Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza when armed police personnel swooped down on the peaceful gathering.

As they chanted louder and louder, they found the police surrounding them and trying to arrest her with her daughter.

“I think they (police) have a strategy. They arrest the people who are loud, who are leading the protests,” says Hajar, who has been living in Berlin for a decade.

“They try every time to take the same people who are chanting, who are loud, who are always present at the protests.”

Tobias den Haan, monitoring officer for Germany at the European Legal Support Center (ELSC), admits that such situations are “extremely scary” for children.

“There are a couple of videos online where children start to cry…There are some instances in which parents were separated from their children during an arrest or a potential arrest,” he tells TRT World.

“There doesn't seem to be an end to the police violence.”