TEHRAN - German police violently clashed with protesters in Berlin over the weekend after they gathered to express opposition to the US–Israeli war on Iran and to show solidarity with Palestinians, marking the 78th anniversary of the Nakba.

Video footage shows police using tear gas to disperse demonstrators. Protesters said they were demonstrating peacefully against the warmongering policies of the United States and Israel. The police response has drawn attention to Germany’s approach toward both Iran and Palestine.

War on Iran 

The US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. The strikes claimed the lives of thousands of people in Iran. On the first day of the war, a single US missile strike on a primary school in the southern Iranian city of Minab killed nearly 170 people, most of them school children. The attacks targeted not only military and nuclear sites but also schools, hospitals, and residential areas.

Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone strikes against Israel and US bases in the Persian Gulf region pushed Washington toward accepting a ceasefire with Tehran on April 8. However, Iranian officials say US demands remain “excessive, unrealistic, and unacceptable,” hindering efforts to reach a permanent diplomatic settlement.

Germany condones aggression 

The US–Israeli campaign has drawn widespread international criticism, but Germany is among a small number of countries that have not issued a clear condemnation of the strikes. Instead, Germany, alongside France and the United Kingdom, issued a joint statement at the start of the conflict condemning Iranian attacks and calling for restraint, without explicitly condemning the US–Israeli strikes.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has described the war as “completely unnecessary” and warned of its global economic and geopolitical consequences, but stopped short of formally denouncing the United States or Israel. Some German political figures, including the president in separate remarks, have described aspects of the conflict as a “breach of international law,” though this has not been framed as an official government position against the US–Israeli aggression as a whole.

Merz has also said that Israel was “doing the dirty work for all of us” in reference to its strikes on Iran. The remarks drew criticism from opposition politicians in Germany, who argued that the wording was inappropriate and risked escalating tensions. It also prompted criticism from legal and policy analysts. Iranian officials rejected the remarks and called for clarification through diplomatic channels.

On Friday, Merz attempted to appease President Donald Trump.
He said Iran must return to negotiations with the United States to end the conflict and urged Tehran to stop disrupting navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. In a social media statement, he said he had spoken with Trump and that both agreed Iran should return to the negotiating table and must not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons. 

Repression of Palestinian activists 

German authorities have also taken a strict stance toward pro-Palestinian activism. The clashes on Saturday with pro-Palestinian protesters, some of whom carried Palestinian symbols, have been seen by critics as reflecting this broader approach.

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), has reportedly flagged certain symbols as potential indicators of extremism. These include the watermelon motif when used to depict Palestine, the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and imagery such as Handala in certain interpretations. Civil liberties groups and pro-Palestinian activists argue that such classifications risk securitizing cultural and political symbols and could restrict legitimate expression and peaceful protest.

Appeasing Israel 

Germany has traditionally aligned itself closely with US and EU positions on Middle East security issues, particularly in relation to Israel’s security and Western approaches toward Iran’s nuclear program. Berlin’s post–World War II doctrine of supporting Israel as a state principle continues to heavily shape its foreign policy, public diplomacy, and official reactions to regional conflicts. Critics argue that this framework has effectively translated into political cover for Israeli military actions, while limiting or delaying explicit condemnation even in cases involving large-scale civilian casualties in Gaza and Iran-related escalations.