Around 17,000 people take part in pro-Palestinian protest in Dusseldorf

According to police reports, almost 17,000 people took part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the German city of Dusseldorf on Saturday.

Originally, only 1,000 participants had been registered by a private individual. According to the police, they had to intervene in isolated cases. A police spokesman spoke late in the afternoon of a generally peaceful demonstration.

Due to the unexpectedly high number of participants, the demonstration route through the city centre was shortened. The participants met near the banks of the Rhine for a final rally.

In Münster, up to 400 people took to the streets in favour of Palestinian rights. The police reported that the march was largely peaceful. Two participants who shouted anti-Israel slogans of criminal relevance during the final rally and two other people were taken into custody.

In Duisburg, fewer than 100 people took part in a pro-Palestinian rally in front of the main railway station. The police filed three criminal charges against participants for incitement to hatred and condoning criminal offences.