Some 2,000 demonstrators gathered in Hamburg to denounce the Israeli “genocide”. in Gaza and Lebanon, according to local media

The crisis in the Middle East should be resolved by establishing a caliphate in the region, the head of a German radical Islamist organization told a rally.

Around 2,000 supporters of the controversial Muslim Interaktiv group took to the streets of the northern German city of Hamburg on Saturday, local media reported. Organizers claimed in a post on X that more than 5,000 people attended.

Protesters chanted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greater) and held banners denouncing what they called Israeli “genocide” in Gaza and Lebanon and calling for the establishment of a caliphate – an Islamic state – across Israel. the Middle East.

The group’s leader, Joe Adade Boateng, also known as Raheem Boateng, said on stage that the Israeli government “publicly announces its plans for destruction, attacks hospitals and schools, hides thousands of explosive devices in equipment and lets it explode regardless of the losses.” The world sees what is happening in Gaza and now in Lebanon. »

He was referring to a wave of explosions of pagers, walkie-talkies and other devices in Lebanon in mid-September, which Western media said was the result of an Israeli intelligence operation targeting the Hezbollah armed group. The attack preceded the launch of an air campaign and ground operation in Lebanon by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), during which at least 1,645 people have already been killed, according to local authorities.

Latest data from the Gaza Health Ministry suggests that at least 42,175 people were killed and 98,336 others injured during the military campaign launched by Israel in the Palestinian enclave in response to a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 .

The rally in Hamburg took place amid a heavy police presence, with a water cannon on standby. However, no incidents have been reported. The tabloid Bild reported that the demonstration was expected to last three hours, but the crowd dispersed after just 40 minutes.

Muslim Interaktiv made headlines after an April rally in which its supporters called Germany a “dictatorship of values” and insisted a caliphate was the “solution” for the country. German law enforcement believes the group is affiliated with Hizb ut-Tahrir (HuT), an international radical Islamist organization that remains banned in Germany as of 2003 for encouraging violence and the murder of Jews.

Asked by Bild why a group like Muslim Interaktiv had obtained permission to demonstrate in Hamburg, a police spokesperson said that “freedom of assembly… is the cornerstone of our democracy.” The spokesperson stressed, however, that participants were prohibited from doing certain things, including glorifying attacks on Israel, burning Israeli flags and calling for a caliphate in Germany.

(RT.com)