Palestinian flag raised on Reichstag flagpole in Berlin; three people held

According to Berlin police, as reported by the Tagesspiegel, a 22-year-old climbed the flagpole in front of the Reichstag building at about 11.15 a.m. on Sunday. At the top he removed the German flag, threw it to the ground and raised a Palestinian flag. Police say he stayed on the 30-metre mast for about an hour and a quarter and repeatedly called out his support for Palestine. Two accomplices below filmed the action and streamed it live on TikTok. According to police, all three have German citizenship.

Firefighters arrived with a ladder truck, but around 12.30 p.m. the climber abseiled down himself. Officers and firefighters took down the Palestinian flag. The three men, aged 22, 20 and 32, were provisionally detained to establish their identities. Police later released the person who had streamed, while examining preventive custody, which can last up to 24 hours, for the climber.

All three are being investigated on suspicion of defaming the state and its symbols, property damage and trespass. Police also treat the action as an unregistered demonstration and are checking a possible breach of the assembly freedom law. The state security unit has taken over the investigation. The activist group "Peacefully against Genocide" said on Instagram that it was behind the action.

Bundestag President Julia Klöckner (CDU) said the parliament needs more protection and that Berlin's state government must also act. Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) wrote on X that anyone who tears down the flag and raises a Palestinian one shows "contempt for our democracy". He also linked the incident to government formation in Berlin.