Berlin (Quds News Network) — Jewish psychoanalyst and activist Iris Hefets was arrested […] in Berlin. German police detained her over a protest sign that read “Jews Against Genocide ✡” — a sign [that] they claimed resembled a “Hamas triangle” inside the Star of David, according to journalist James Jackson.
Hefets, a 56-year-old member of the anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace, has been arrested multiple times since Israel launched its genocide in Gaza in October 2023. She describes today’s arrest as “more violent than others.”
Journalist James Jackson, who spoke with Hefets, said she was detained because her Star of David included a triangle, which police claimed mimicked a “Hamas symbol”.
Hefets was first arrested in Berlin shortly after the genocide began, for holding a sign that said: “As a Jew and Israeli, stop the genocide in Gaza.” At the time, German police cited a ban on pro-Palestinian demonstrations. “I didn’t think I would get detained for that — I was naïve,” Hefets told Al Jazeera.
She was arrested again on November 10 for “inciting racial hatred” while holding the same sign. Authorities later dropped the charge. In another incident, she was detained for displaying a sign that read “Zionism kills.” Though released, her sign was confiscated.
Hefets has faced repeated arrests for her outspoken opposition to Israel’s genocidal policies in Gaza. Despite being Jewish […] herself, German police have treated her as a threat.
Germany has faced growing criticism over its harsh crackdown on pro-Palestine and anti-genocide activism. Authorities have banned protests, detained activists, and targeted Jewish dissenters like Hefets who oppose Israeli crimes.
UN experts and human rights groups have condemned Berlin’s suppression of speech. Critics say [that] Germany is weaponizing antisemitism laws to silence pro-Palestine activism.
The […] genocide in Gaza has killed over 54,000 people and displaced millions. Yet in Germany, calling it a genocide can get you arrested.
