The head of the Berlin branch of the German LEFT PARTY, Klaus Lederer is to speak this Sunday on a demonstration in support of operation cast lead. This decision comes as riot police attacked Palestinians on a Gaza protest march in Berlin.

The Berlin Left Party rules the German capital together with the Socialdemocrats in a coalition government.

About 8.500 protesters marched in Berlin on Saturday against the Israeli onslaught on Gaza. 10.000 in the Ruhr area and about 5000 in other cities. The majority of the protesters in Berlin were Palestinians. The number of ethnic Germans on the march was well below 50. In comparison to last Saturday the number of left supporters has also dwindled. There were no anarchists or antifas, only a contingent of the small Marxist Leninist Party.

The small contingent of the Left Party consisting of about 30 people which was present on the previous march holding many flags of their party did not participate on the demo yesterday Since the marchers of this small block were members of three oppositionist local branches of the Berlin Left Party, insiders hint to that these members were "gagged" and pressurised not to take part on an anti-Israel protest. The members of the three oppositionist branches Spandau, Wedding and Neukolln have been subjected to Left Party disciplinary action on several occasions previously.

There was heavy police presence in Berlin yesterday. Water cannons were waiting in side streets and riots cops escorted the march right and left side. Police confiscated some placards and flags during the march which resulted occasionaly in scuffles with the police. The march was under strict scrutiny by many plain cloth police and German inner security special branch, filming protesters.

Riot police provoked a block of Palestinian youths continiously from the start of the march on. The riot coppers stormed the march several times to arrest young protesters, in some instances for shouting Israel is a terror state. 17 arrests were made. At the end of the march there was some sort of provocation going on. Presumably by the Antideutsche Antifa sect, holding an Israeli flag, and being protected by riot cops. Scuffles broke out and the Palestinian youths got very angry and shouted "you are all Jews!" at the riot coppers.

Minutes later riot coppers made a massive and final attack on the march and arrested two Palestinian youths.

Antideutsche also provoked the Gaza march of 10.000 in the Ruhr town of Duisburg, holding Israel flags out of windows, but Police in Duisburg entered the flats and confiscated the Israel-flags.

There´s a tendency by the state and by some n.g.o.s to portray the anti-war protests as being organised by Islamists and being intentionally antisemitic. This resonates in the German left. The state funded ngo s were originally established to tackle neofascism but now concentrate on "Islamism" and "migrants antisemitsm."

The Berlin exec committee of the LEFT PARTY favours these ngo s. But it´s the first time that Berlin LEFT PARTY leaders openly support a pro-Israel rally and appear as speakers on a demonstration in support of "Cast Lead" military operation.

The rally "for Israel and in support of cast lead" is also supported by the Left Party´s section "BAK Shalom" - a pressure group formed by the Antideutsche to influence the left.

The Berlin pro-Israel rally is organised by the board of Berlin´s jewish community, by German pro-Israel groups and zionist fomations and supported by several celebrities. But it is also supported by a Berlin radical anti-Muslim organisation whith links to neonazi-groups.

Apart from the Berlin head of the LEFT PARTY and leading members of the main German political parties.

 http://derberliton.de/de/news/latest/support-israel-demo-in-berlin.html
 http://www.klauslederer.de/
 http://ipahb.de/
 http://die-linke.de