German Unity Flag Torn Down and Replaced With Palestinian Flag at Berlin Reichstag: 22-Year-Old and Accomplices Detained
A 22-year-old man climbed the flagpole in front of the Reichstag building in Berlin at about 11:30 a.m. local time on November 8, 2026, took down the German Flag of Unity that flies there permanently and threw it to the ground, and raised a Palestinian flag in its place, Berlin police said. The Unity Flag, a 6-by-10-meter flag on a mast about 28.5 meters tall at Platz der Republik, is a national monument commemorating German reunification on October 3, 1990.
Police said the man remained at the top of the pole for about an hour, secured by a climbing harness, before climbing down on his own and being taken into custody. Firefighters helped remove the Palestinian flag. Because the mast's hoisting cable was damaged in the incident, the German flag could not immediately be raised again. The man's two accomplices were also dealt with by police.
The State Security Division of the Berlin State Criminal Police Office is investigating suspected offenses including denigration of the state and its symbols, damage to public property, violation of Berlin's assembly law and trespassing. A group calling itself 'Peacefully Against Genocide' claimed the protest, staged against German support for Israel's military operation in Gaza.
Bundestag President Julia Klöckner told Bild the incident was 'unbelievable' and a crime. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told Bild it was an act of 'utter disrespect and deliberate provocation.' Police reported no injuries. (Source: Berlin Police)
Source: Berlin Police
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：柏林国会大厦与大厦前的德国统一旗。Jürgen Federau 摄，CC0 授权，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Reichstag building in Berlin with the Flag of Unity in front of it. Photo by Jürgen Federau, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
