Latest news with #pro-Palestinians
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Germany: Dozens injured at Berlin pro-Palestinian protest
People attend a pro-Palestinians demonstration to commemorate the Nakba Day in Berlin, Germany (AP) Several protesters and police officers sustained injuries during violent confrontations at a pro-Palestinian demonstration marking Nakba Day in Berlin on Thursday. According to police, who made over 50 arrests, approximately 1,100 people took part in the demonstration in the Berlin district of Kreuzberg in remembrance of the Nakba and protesting against Israel's continuing military operations in the Gaza Strip. Nakba means "catastrophe" in Arabic and refers to the forced displacement or fleeing of Palestinians during the Arab-Israeli War of 1948 after Israel's founding. About 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes in the years before and after the proclamation of the State of Israel. Some 1,200 Israelis, around 800 civilians, were killed and another 250 abducted in the attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, 2023. Israel's military response has seen over 53,000 Palestinians mainly women and children, killed, according to health authorities in Hamas-led Gaza Strip, whose casualty counts do not differentiate between militants and civilians but are regarded as reliable by international organizations, and much of the territory laid to waste. How did the Nakba Day protest unfold? In Berlin on Thursday, demonstrators originally wanted to march from the Südstern square in the south of the capital to the neighboring district of Neukölln, but a local administrative court ruled that the protest must remain stationary. "The Nakba is a continuing campaign of ethnic cleansing which has never stopped," claimed one speaker at the demonstration. Other protesters reportedly shouted phrases accusing the Israeli government and military of being "child murderers, women murderers, baby murderers" as well as "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." The latter phrase is illegal in Germany as it is considered an approval of a crime under paragraph 140 of the German Criminal Code in that it can be interpreted as a demand for the region between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea to be free of the Jewish state of Israel, an interpretation disputed by some Palestinian groups. Police officer 'trampled on' According to the TAZ daily newspaper, the use of this phrase prompted attempts by police to make arrests. Police said they were also responding to "significant acts of violence" against officers "from within the crowd," out of which bottles and stones were reportedly thrown. According to the police, one officer was dragged into the crowd, forced to the ground and trampled on. The 36-year-old reportedly suffered severe injuries to his upper body, including a broken arm, and remains in the hospital. "The attack on a police officer at the demonstration in Kreuzberg is nothing but a cowardly, brutal act of violence," said Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU). "Attacks against officers are attacks on law and order and therefore against all of us." According to the police, 11 officers were injured in total as well as an unspecified number of protesters. The injured demonstrators were treated by the Berlin fire department, which said the scale of its deployment wasn't particularly large. Berlin politicians condemn 'brutal violence' Berlin's senator for the interior, Iris Spranger of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), promised tough action against those arrested. "Yesterday's demonstration in Berlin escalated in a horrific manner," she said." This brutal violence against officers has nothing to do with political protest." The German-Israeli Society (DIG) spoke of a "strong radicalization in this area and an associated increase in violence," and called for the authorization of such demonstrations to be reconsidered. "Often, these events are not demonstrations for the rights and the legitimate concerns of Palestinians but merely express outright hatred of Israel," it claimed.
Epoch Times
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Tampa Man Sentenced to Prison Over Bomb Threat to US House Member's District Office
A man from Tampa, Florida, was sentenced on Thursday to one year in prison for threatening to plant a bomb in the district office of a member of the House of Representatives, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida District Judge Mary S. Scriven said Rigoberto Albizar Martinez, 57, must also remain under home confinement for one year following his release from prison. In December, a federal jury found Martinez According to a complaint filed with the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Martinez called the Tampa district office of a member of the House of Representatives on May 1, 2024, and 'left a vulgar, racist, obscenity-laden voicemail,' in which he threatened to plant a bomb in their office. The complaint does not state who Martinez called, but Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor represents Florida's 14th congressional district, which includes Tampa and parts of Hillsborough County. She has held the position since 2015. Related Stories 5/13/2025 5/9/2025 During the call, Martinez identified himself and provided his phone number, according to the complaint. 'Make sure that nothing happens to me because I'm going to plant a bomb in your office,' Martinez said, according to a transcription of the voicemail, which was translated from Spanish. 'It's a threat, it's a threat, and take it however you want.' Martinez also criticized Democrats, whom he said were to blame for him being 'on the street.' He also took aim at 'pro-Palestinians,' telling the lawmaker to 'make sure a pro-Palestinian doesn't touch me on the street like this' or 'all those Black Lives Matter, all those black people.' According to the complaint, the representative and their staff feared they were at risk of harm due to Martinez's phone call. Capitol Police subsequently requested a 24-hour marked unit to sit outside the lawmaker's residence and directed patrols around their District Office. Law enforcement conducted an investigation into the phone call and discovered that the same phone number that Martinez had used to call the office had been involved in a 'previous concerning communication investigation' in which a voicemail was left for another congressional lawmaker on Aug. 9, 2021. The court document does not identify which lawmaker was targeted during that incident. However, it states that Martinez told the representative during the call to 'be careful with the package that you will receive in your mailbox.' Martinez was subsequently interviewed by police and admitted to making the phone call to the Tampa lawmaker's office in 2024, according to the complaint. He 'did not express any remorse for leaving the threatening voicemail and indicated that he would like to go to court with the victim,' when questioned by law enforcement officials, the complaint states. Martinez faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison if found guilty. A sentencing date has not yet been set. The Epoch Times has contacted an attorney for Martinez and a spokesperson for Castor's office for comment.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Letters to the Editor: Charges against pro-Palestinian protesters at Stanford are disproportionate
To the editor: While I agree that vandalism is a crime and should be charged as such, the law is being wielded disproportionately against pro-Palestinian activists ("Felony charges for pro-Palestinian Stanford students? Trump will love this," April 10). Save for a single protester charged with assault with a deadly weapon, we have not seen felony assault or attempted murder charges levied against the pro-Israel activists who violently attacked pro-Palestinian UCLA students, faculty and staff in 2024, nor have universities like Stanford, UCLA or USC faced civil rights charges for their efforts to deny pro-Palestinians their right to speak and to challenge pro-Israel depictions of the war in Gaza. Property crimes are serious, but violence against persons and egregious limitations on free-speech rights are worse. Justice needs to be blind and deaf, as [columnist Anita] Chabria says, but it needs to be prioritized and proportionate. Santa Clara County Dist. Atty. Jeff Rosen says he wants the punishment to fit the crime, but shouldn't he and Los Angeles-area prosecutors be focusing on more serious crimes? Rachel Howes, Northridge .. To the editor: A long time ago when I was a student in the 1960s, protests were quite common. Many of the causes I agreed with, but one thing I didn't was vandalizing school property. That said, I feel that filing felony charges against pro-Palestinian students is overkill designed primarily to intimidate. Suppressing discontent this way won't make it go away; it just proves the point for the people that the authorities are trying to silence. Martin Usher, Thousand Oaks This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Letters to the Editor: Charges against pro-Palestinian protesters at Stanford are disproportionate
To the editor: While I agree that vandalism is a crime and should be charged as such, the law is being wielded disproportionately against pro-Palestinian activists ('Felony charges for pro-Palestinian Stanford students? Trump will love this,' April 10). Save for a single protester charged with assault with a deadly weapon, we have not seen felony assault or attempted murder charges levied against the pro-Israel activists who violently attacked pro-Palestinian UCLA students, faculty and staff in 2024, nor have universities like Stanford, UCLA or USC faced civil rights charges for their efforts to deny pro-Palestinians their right to speak and to challenge pro-Israel depictions of the war in Gaza. Property crimes are serious, but violence against persons and egregious limitations on free-speech rights are worse. Justice needs to be blind and deaf, as [columnist Anita] Chabria says, but it needs to be prioritized and proportionate. Santa Clara County Dist. Atty. Jeff Rosen says he wants the punishment to fit the crime, but shouldn't he and Los Angeles-area prosecutors be focusing on more serious crimes? Rachel Howes, Northridge .. To the editor: A long time ago when I was a student in the 1960s, protests were quite common. Many of the causes I agreed with, but one thing I didn't was vandalizing school property. That said, I feel that filing felony charges against pro-Palestinian students is overkill designed primarily to intimidate. Suppressing discontent this way won't make it go away; it just proves the point for the people that the authorities are trying to silence. Martin Usher, Thousand Oaks
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Doha Film Institute CEO Addresses Attack On Palestinian ‘No Other Land' Director: 'Even An Oscar Does Not Offer Safety From Violent Oppression'
The ratcheting up of the Israel-Gaza conflict and recent attacks on pro-Palestinians activists loomed large at the opening of the Doha Film Institute's annual talent and project meeting on Friday. Some 300 attendees gathered for the welcoming meet and greet at Doha's Museum of Islamic Art, followed by a masterclass by Brazilian director Walter Salles, fresh from his Best International Feature Film win for I'm Still Here. More from Deadline Market In Focus: Qatari Filmmakers Line-Up Features As Doha Film Institute Marks 15th Anniversary - Qumra Market In Focus: Walter Salles To Open Qatar's Qumra Meeting Offering Safe Harbor To Marginalized Voices In Politically-Charged Times Doha Film Institute Unveils 49 Projects Selected For 2025 Qumra Event With Oscar Winner Walter Salles As Mentor In a strongly worded opening speech, DFI CEO Fatma Al Remaihi voiced her concerns over 'attempts to erase voices in the region' and raised the case of the recent attack on Oscar-winning Palestinian No Other Land director Hamdam Ballal. Referring to the fact the DFI is marking its 15th anniversary, Al Remaihi said the institute's founding mission to nurture untold stories from the region was more relevant than ever. 'Today, as we celebrate this milestone, we find ourselves at a complex crossroads where the world is witnessing continuing genocides,' she said. 'The promise of peace and ceasefire are merely cover stories for the continued dehumanisation and attempts to erase voices in the region.' Israel resumed its ground operation in Gaza on March 19 after negotiations to extend a fragile ceasefire involving an exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners failed. More than 1,000 people have been killed and 280,000 displaced since the resumption of the offensive, which has left more than 50,000 people dead in Gaza to date. The military campaign was sparked by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and resulted in the taking of 251 hostages. 'In a world where many prominent cultural events and institutions have chosen silence over solidarity and protesting voices face marginalization, we must stand firm in our duty as storytellers and ambassadors for humanity, it's as simple as that,' said Al Remaihi. Al Remaihi was speaking one week after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued an apology for failing to mention Ballal's name in a statement it put out after he was attacked by settlers in his West Bank village and then detained by the Israeli army. The Oscar win for the documentary – following the struggle of people living in the West Bank Palestinian villages of Masafer Yatta in the face of attempts by Israel to erase their homes and history from the map – has sparked an uptick in settler violence against the communities captured in the film in recent weeks. 'The recent attack on Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal proves that even winning the most prestigious award-an Oscar- does not offer any safety from violent oppression,' said Al Remaihi. 'Now, more than ever, spaces like Qumra must exist—not just as a forum for artistic growth, but as a platform for voices that refuse to be silenced. It may sound cliché but cinema is more than just art—it is the last remaining tool we have for positive change and resilience,' she concluded. Running from April 4 to 9 in Doha, the 11th edition of Qumra will host the directors and producers of 49 works supported by the DFI's grantee program in various stages of development and production. Best of Deadline Everything We Know About 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 So Far Everything We Know About 'Hacks' Season 4 So Far 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery
