Following the cancellation of a controversial "Palestine Congress" planned for three days in Berlin, police in the German capital said they were expecting spontaneous protest events over the weekend.
Police on Friday broke up the pro-Palestinian conference in the Tempelhof area of Berlin and asked some 250 participants to leave the venue just two hours into the three-day event.
Officers had earlier intervened during remarks via video by an activist who is banned from political activity in Germany due to hate speech against Israel and Jews.
When the man spoke police cut off the transmission and temporarily switched off the power to the venue for the "Palestine Congress," which was organized by various pro-Palestinian groups.
Law enforcement officials then deliberated over their next steps before cancelling the event - not just on Friday, but Saturday and Sunday, too.
A police spokesman said officers made the decision because they saw the risk "that such anti-Semitic, violence-glorifying and Holocaust-denying speeches could be repeated at the event."
Organizers said they are considering whether to take legal action.
Before the start of the event politicians including Berlin Mayor Kai Wegener as well as the police had announced that they would take firm action if any anti-Semitic statements or criminal offences were committed at the meeting.
Organizers of the conference had decried Israel's ongoing military offensive in the Gaza Strip, and attacked the German government's support for the Israeli government.
"Together, with the voices of the Palestinian movement and the international community, we will denounce Israeli apartheid and genocide. We accuse Germany of being complicit," according to the event website.
Israel launched the offensive after the Palestinian militant group Hamas led unprecedented attacks on Israel on October 7 that left more than 1,200 dead.
More than 33,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to the Health Ministry there, which is controlled by Hamas.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had told dpa ahead of the event that "anyone spreading Islamist propaganda and hatred against Jews must know that they will be prosecuted quickly and consistently."
Berlin police deployed around 900 officers to keep watch on the conference and any pro-Palestinian demonstrations, summoning reinforcements from western Germany to bolster their forces, a police spokeswoman told dpa.
The crowd waiting to enter the hall on Friday chanted slogans including "Viva, Viva Palestine" and "Germany finances, Israel bombs." Some waved Palestinian flags outside the building.
"It is intolerable that a so-called Palestine Conference is taking place in Berlin," Wegner, a politician from the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU), told dpa earlier in a written statement.
"We do not tolerate anti-Semitism, hatred and incitement against Jews in Berlin."
Police in Berlin have taken a generally tough stance toward pro-Palestinian protesters since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip.
Authorities have put strict conditions on pro-Palestinian demonstrations, or banned them outright, citing concerns that anti-Israeli statements could cross the line into outright anti-Semitism.
Protesters and critics, however, have accused authorities in Berlin of violating democratic freedoms of speech and assembly with the crackdowns.
The number of participants at the congress was limited by the police to 250 per day for fire safety reasons.
As they left the venue on Friday evening, they chanted "Shame on you" in English at the police.
Police officers will remain at the venue in Tempelhof, according to a police spokeswoman. Numerous police officers will also be out and about in the city area monitoring the situation, the spokeswoman said.
Originally, around 900 officers were to accompany the second day of the congress on Saturday.
"The number of officers we deploy on Saturday will depend on the situation," she explained.
