Following a police officer punching an Irish activist living in Germany in Berlin last week, officials in the Republic of Ireland expressed deep concern.
Kitty O’Brien, 25, is recovering from operations that required surgery, according to The Irish Times on Tuesday.
O’Brien’s arm was broken in the incident, according to Irish public broadcaster RTE, according to Irish Bloc Berlin, an Irish protest group.
O’Brien was repeatedly punched twice in the face by a police officer during the demonstration on Thursday, which left her bleeding heavily and showing blood on her hands to the police during the melee.
Ireland’s prime minister, Taoiseach Micheal Martin, expressed his “deep concern” over what he termed an “unacceptable” assault.
On Sunday, Ireland’s ambassador to Germany, Maeve Collins, expressed “concern” to local authorities.
The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade stated in a statement that it was aware of the incident and that senior departmental officials had “confirmed our concern about the incident to the German authorities.”
Both diplomatically and culturally, Ireland has taken one of the most vehement stances against Israel’s atrocities in Gaza.
Since it started in October 2023, members of Irish rap group Kneecap have become well-known around the world for their resistance to Israel’s assault on Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 63, 000 people and destroyed much of the area.
Germany and the United States have remained Israel’s steadfastest supporters internationally.
The incident, according to German opposition politicians and campaigners, is a part of a wider pattern.
Green Party state politician Vasili Franco claimed that Berlin’s current mayor Kai Wegner had backed a “hard-line approach to demonstrators” and had previously refused to cooperate with investigations.
Since the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel and Israel’s ensuing genocidal war on Gaza, according to German-Moroccan activist and author Mohamed Amjahid, the case represents a “new escalation” of police-demonstrator clashes.
They have been given the freedom to do whatever they want, according to Amjahid, who said that many police officers feel very secure punching people without getting punished.
Germany lacks an independent police ombudsman in contrast to other European nations. Most complaints are handled internally, with the exception of a few instances where they lead to legal action.
The video is “really awful,” according to German Ambassador to Ireland, David Gill.
Berlin police said a preliminary investigation into the officer seen in the video was ongoing despite the fact that it was not determined whether the behavior was appropriate.
O’Brien is accused of insulting and repressing officers, according to the police.
German authorities have been accused of repeatedly disproportionately halting pro-Palestinian demonstrations, with many of them being halted by heavy police presences due to false accusations of anti-Semitism.
On Thursday evening, police said hundreds of officers were dispatched to Berlin’s Mitte district to formally end the unauthorised gathering in protest of Palestinian journalists’ death.
Source: Aljazeera
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