Berlin officials are under fire for their decision to take down posters depicting images of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
At least three uniformed officers were caught on video silently removing the posters, which shared information about approximately 200 civilians taken from Israel into Gaza following a deadly attack by Hamas on October 7.
The posters were affixed to an advertising column believed to be owned and operated by Ilg-Außenwerbung.
The video of the officers removing the posters quickly spread on social media, leading to comparisons with similar incidents in London and Manchester where police were criticised for taking down similar flyers.
Berlin’s Chief of Police, Barbara Slowik, defended the officers’ actions, stating that they “apparently felt compelled to act” when they saw the posters. She expressed regret that taking down the posters hurt feelings, acknowledging that it affected her deeply.
The grounds for the police’s decision to remove the posters remain unclear.
A police spokesperson told the German newspaper Tagesspiegel that the officers acted based on “their own findings” and that no complaint or criminal charges were filed against the owner of the advertising column.
Iris Spranger, Berlin’s State Minister for the Interior, attempted to justify the police’s actions by claiming that the posters were removed to preserve “security and order” as well as “social peace”.
She later admitted that the action had caused pain for the families of the hostages and expressed heartfelt regret.
She later admitted that the action had caused pain for the families of the hostages and expressed heartfelt regret.
Jörn Badendick, a spokesperson for the ‘Independents’ police union, accused Berlin officials of playing ‘bull**** bingo’ and suggested that a simple acknowledgment of a misjudgment would have sufficed.
He noted that the Middle East conflict had created a heated atmosphere, and officials might have been concerned about provocation.
Berlin’s governing mayor, Kai Wegner, expressed regret at the impression created by the incident and stated that the city and its police stand with the victims of terrorism and their families.
Alexander J. Herrmann, a legal policy spokesman for the Christian-Democratic Union party, criticised the Berlin police’s attempt to justify the action, citing numerous illegal posters in the city and the discretion of the officers involved.
