Pro-Palestinian Activists Shout Down Elderly Israeli Choir at Church, Prompting Physical Scuffle
Burly pro-Palestinian protester rams into concert attendee
Are planting trees, building parks and setting up nature reserves “war crimes”? Apparently so for pro-Palestinian activists who on October 4th stormed a concert of elderly Israeli singers raising money for the Jewish National Fund’s (JNF) efforts to rebuild the Carmel Park in Haifa that suffered a devastating forest fire in 2010.
It’s happened at concerts, dance performances and on campus: pro-Palestinian activists speaking their minds, or rather shouting their pre-planned talking points, while at the same time manipulatively blocking Israeli artists’ and supporters’ own right to free speech. And like in past cases, this one pitted protesters vs. audience members in physical scuffles, shoving, and knocking each other to the ground.
It hardly matters that this latest protest occurred in Berlin; in the past these orchestrated interruptions have targeted Israel-supporting speakers across American college campuses, at times with the help of Occupy Wall Street activists.
The Israeli choir Gevatron was performing at a JNF fundraiser in a Berlin church when suddenly about a dozen pro-Palestinian activists barged in, shouting, unfurling banners and throwing leaflets into the audience. Many were wearing red shirts stating “Viva Palestina,” while at least one was wearing a black and white keffiya and sporting a mohawk. While the interruption began only with words, it very quickly turned physical.
Mohawk coiffed, keffiyeh-wearing protester throws anti-Israel leaflets
The group behind the interruption calls itself “Direct Action Berlin” and posted a video of the altercation on YouTube. According to the Israeli site Ynet, activists included Palestinians living in Germany, Iranians, a Spaniard and – perhaps surprisingly – two Israelis.
Any doubts about the peaceful intentions of the protesters were quickly confirmed by the video which shows one female activist marching through the room chanting “From the river to the sea: Palestine will be free.” Translation: Jews should be completely wiped from the territory that comprises Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, that is, between the Jordan River to the East and the Mediterranean Sea to the West.
"From the river to the sea!" - Protester seems to call for ethnic cleansing of Jews from Israel
Direct Action Berlin insists its objectives are not anti-Semitic. In a statement it posted on its Facebook page after the protest, it wrote:
Resisting apartheid is not antisemitism. Resisting war crimes is not antisemitism. Critic against Israel is not antisemitism.
Protesters say their “act of resistance was symbolic and non-violent.” Was their protest really non-violent? Here are some screen shots from the video they posted. This is the only video that appears to have been posted of the incident. Because it was apparently filmed by the protesters themselves, it’s not exactly the most objective documentation. Even so, it provides useful information.
Protesters shove audience members, knocking one to the ground
Female protester appears to shove audience member who accosted her
Audience fights back? Protester appears to be pushed to ground by audience member while squealing melodramatically
The flyer that activists hurled into the crowd included the allegation that because the Jewish National Fund has over the years purchased land in Israel, this activity constitutes “ethnic cleansing.” It claims the JNF’s parks and nature reserves are built on “Palestinian land, to prevent the return of its people.” The flyer stated: “Don´t donate to ethnic cleansing, don´t enjoy the music of the apartheid!”
German-language flyer thrown at concert audience
Berlin-based Jerusalem Post Correspondent Benjamin Weinthal – who writes extensively about anti-Semitism in Europe spoke to German journalist Alex Feuerherdt, who covers anti-Israel activity in Germany:
“The anti- Semitic character of the ‘protest’ was made clear through two points.” First, he cited the slogan “From the river to the sea: Palestine will be free,” which “can only mean ‘free from Jews.’” Feuerherdt said the second sign the action contained “modern anti- Semitism” involved the protesters’ defamation of the Jewish National Fund, the sponsor of the choir group, as “one of the oldest and effective instruments of Zionist Apartheid and repression in Palestine.”
He said the comparison between Israel and the [former South African] Apartheid system aimed to delegitimize and demonize Israel and was a method that characterized contemporary anti- Semitism.
Feuerherdt added that the “very aggressive action of the BDS [Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions] activists deals in no way with peace or the well-being of the Palestinians; rather, the destruction of Israel.”
Weinthal also quoted Gerald Steinberg, who heads the non-profit NGO Monitor, a research institute that monitors anti-Israel bias in non-governmental organizations. He said the concert disruption is just one example of “the penetration of anti- Israel political warfare in Berlin.”
He added, “In this atmosphere, Berlin’s leaders have a moral obligation to act clearly and strongly to condemn all manifestations of such immoral behavior.”
Watch the video of the protest that Direct Action Berlin posted on YouTube:
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Comments (65)
andrewpeter05
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 10:30amuseful idiots and once the serve their Purpose it wouldn’t surprise me to see the red shirt protesters hanging from a tree.
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mecanic
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 12:32pmwish i had been there, the big American looking boy in the red shirt would have been mine.
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Thomas_Jefferson
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:56pmThese red shirt ******** defend terrorists but not a single word about the church filled with Coptic Christians in Egypt that was burnt to the ground last Christmas.
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Thatsitivehadenough
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 3:17pmThese must be the same group that had an anti-Israel speaker at the Berlin Jewish Museum and few weeks ago. Germany had better step up and stop this behaviour. It’s NOT peaceful, and it must be against the law.
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mtcountrygrl
Posted on October 10, 2012 at 2:11amThis made me so angry, I would have dragged that witch out by the ****.
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pavepaws
Posted on October 10, 2012 at 6:07pmToo much talking, not enough security.
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Carlinpa
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 10:26amLiberals will never acknowledge or report on things said like this :”Translation: Jews should be completely wiped from the territory that comprises Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, that is, between the Jordan River to the East and the Mediterranean Sea to the West.” because it doesn’t fit into their “narrative of the middle east. Israel is wiling to acknowledge the savages, but the savages aren’t willing to acknowledge Israel.
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hjablo
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 11:49amI love it when some people in America, call Islam a religion of peace!.
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paperpushermj
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 10:07amEven though they wore Red Shirts today their Actions where no different then the Brown and Black Shirts of the 1920 and 30s. History Repeats!
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nzkiwi
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 10:07amHaving just listened to the 911 call from the young murderer, and now this, I feel a great depth of sadness.
War will shortly come to the middle east, and these young idiots don’t realise the hell that is shortly to envelop innocents. It is pointless trying to explain it to them, they wouldn’t believe the truth even if they listened.
Our little world seems to stagger from one sensless tragedy to another, large and small. More lives cut short, more families bereft, more children brutalised. And for what?
Still, the tyrants must be defeated yet again so that our civilisation can continue to progress. Until the next time, I suppose.
But the cost is always so devastatingly high…
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Wango
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:50amNothing can be done. We’ll just move things down the road.
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Fubared
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 11:10amSpoken like a loser lefty.
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anAmericanVet
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:48amMore video evidence that Palestinians, and PA sympathizers are nothing more than terrorists.
They are only pawns being used by the rest of the Islamists as cause to fight Israel.
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BrotherWill
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 10:09amJust like Nazis.
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thegodfather
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:36amMore middle eastern savages
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ugottabekidding
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:32amThat is NOT non-violent. Whenever these azzes start shouting down and disrupting in this fashion, it is violence of a special kind. I guess what we need to do is start hiring bouncers to bounce their dumb azz out the door when they start this crap.
Ever notice WHO the ones are shouting down free speech or trying to take it away from people? The very sames azzes that complain about being VICTOMS. T
hey need there bottoms spanked beacause they are acting like unruly children.
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fuzzy20841
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:28amWhere would these Islamic thugs get without freedom of speech! The same freedom of speech that they want to deny us in the name of Alla. Barry and Hillary seem ok with this!
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liberalism_is_mental_retardation
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:27amHey Obama, when are you gonna tell the Middle East to stop clinging to their guns and religion?
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nzkiwi
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 10:14amLol.
Thanks, I needed that little laugh.
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ScarletRose
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:17amMan proposes – God disposes.
Book of Obadiah in the middle of the Old Testament is only 21 verses long. And HAMAS is the OLD Word for “Violence” in verse 10. IT is a word whose OLD DEFINITION means “Injustice, lying thieving violence”. Look it up in a Strong’s Concordance.
This Book is about 3,000 years old and look at what the Living God our Creator says is WHY He decides to bring Justice to the region.
TODAY’S HEADLINES are in the Book of Obadiah.
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tp517
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:55amWere these even palestinians or just paid rent a mob members with direction and funding from Obama’s stimulus funding?
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ScarletRose
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:21amLike Code Pink!
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momrules
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:46amSo the little Jew hating thug chick screams “don’t touch me” as she and her fellow thugs ransack, disrupt and frighten a group of elderly people.
As Pam Geller says…………”In any war between civilized man and a savage, support the civilized man.”
These protesters are the savages.
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paperpushermj
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 10:32amWho was the guy Saying “Don’t Touch Them” When that’s precisely what needed to happen.
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galicant wiseword
Posted on October 10, 2012 at 2:44amI’m thankful that my wife is the type of woman who would “attend” to the female while I help Mr. Mohawk and Mr. blondbeard crawl back out the way they came in. She would probably even hand her a napkin to keep her from bleeding on the floor on the way out.
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piper60
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:42amFascists are fascists. The red shirted idiots are just that. Idiots.
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rightwingheroes
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:39amthe time has come to rid the world of people like these protesters
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ScarletRose
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:24amTRUE.
Sir Winston Churchill: Still, if you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed, if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not so costly, you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance for survival. There may be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no chance of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.
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GotzvB
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:38amStand with Christ, freedom and Israel whilst standing against secular humanism, Islamofacism, tyranny, communism and socialism (see BHO) and you can’t go astray.
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momrules
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:32amThe thugs can pretty up their cause by claiming that they are *resisting apartheid* but if you boil it down it is just hatred for Jew and Israel.
This hatred for Israel was preordained. This hatred for Jews and Israel is escalating worldwide.
Everyone of these people are as evil as any member of the Muslim Brotherhood. They will never be happy until every Jew is killed or subjugated and Israel is a distant memory.
Since Israel is Gods these people are God’s enemies. He will not deal kindly with them.
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Wango
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:50amWhy do you hate the Jews?
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skiz
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:20ampalestine does not exist! Look for it in the Bible, not there. Look for it in the koran, not there. It is a made up peoples mostley from Jordan. Created by the UN in 1967. LOOK IT UP! It is a false narrative created to cause Israel strife.I STAND WITH ISRAEL!
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rose-ellen
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:14amEthnically cleansed arabs are now called palestinians. They were displaced by hook and by crook by european zionists and israel was created back when the UN was a colonialist white mans club. Land seized in the 67 war is not part of israel proper and -legally and morally-should be returned to the native arabs[now called palestinians].israel is a racist state in allowing anyone who is jewish to live there while expelling non jewish arabs. i stand with the arabs[now called palestinians]as that land once called greater syria is where they lived.They’re more indigenous then european zionist colonisers.What’s relevant is not the name but the fact that they [arab-palestinians ]were living there while zionists were in europe[and america].Today all arabs and iran would accept the original 48 borders but the genocidal anti arab propagandists[fox and beck] ignore that fact!Good these activists protested-that too is free speech!
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Fubared
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:30amRoseyhellen
Gear up, don your pink boots. Send back pics of the kumbaya circle.
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paperpushermj
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 10:48amRose
Yes …Of those born in Israel today, many come from Grandparents and Great Grandparents that came from Europe, America and from around the World to Israel. How is this any different then todays Palestinian? For example where is Yasser Arafat from? Answer: EGYPT
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palmbeachbum
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 2:22pmscan the quran for israel – you’ll be amazed
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Rational Man
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:18amPalistine is not a country or even an ethnicity. It’s a term used for a region on the planet. There is nothing to ‘free’.
Maybe I should make up my own country. I’ll call it Rational Mania and try to expel everyone I don’t like from the region that I choose to live in.
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paperpushermj
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 11:17amI agree with you when you say there is no Palestinian. But that does not solve the problem of how to describe these people who are in opposition to Israeli Jews. And it is against Jews that is the foundation of this movement and I can prove it with just one question.
.
IF Israel had a Dominant Muslim Population Governed by Sharia would Rose be posting on this board?
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RJJinGadsden
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:16amUnlike the libs’ international darling, Cecil Rhodes who really believed in and practiced Apartheid. Who in the Israel – Palestine areas believe in and practice apartheid in an even harsher manner. It ain’t the Israeli Jews who allow all to live and be equal within their borders. Funny, how it is the Muslims want nobody in their borders who are not Muslim, then sling that accusation at Jews who only stand up in defense from attacks.
Oh well, THE_JERK will be along shortly to root for these clowns.
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Fubared
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:11amThe jerk may be on scene. Wiki said, don’t hate the messenger, belligerent, and hitlers favorite color is… Sick puppy.
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Reformed
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:16amVery nice people those palestinians.
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biohazard23
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:09amMore useful idiots. See, this is why people can’t have nice things: anti-Israel “activists” go around wrecking the place.
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mikenleeds
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:01amit s shameful to burst into any type of Church and bother their praise
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karencole
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 8:17amListen to her scream “don’t touch me!” you think they aren’t learning these tactics somewhere? They are…this is not spontaneous anymore. These kids are so brainwashed and misinformed. If Obama wins these incidents will get a whole lot worse. And WHEN Romney wins, this is what i would like him to say…
A message to Israelis…..”Please come to America so that we can level the entire middle east as soon as your boats hit our shores…thank you, see you soon”
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kickagrandma
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:59am“All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
John 3:20–21
PRAY ON FOR ISRAEL AND GOD’S “kids” around the world.
Remember satan attacks the fortress, not the wilderness.
If you haven’t run into him lately, that means you are on the wrong team.
I happily refer to the current administration and ALL who support them as team satan. The “S” on their shirts does NOT stand for “Superman”, but for their boss… oh, hey! That could be “s” for satan; “s” for soros; or even “s” for s***. All sorta fits together, don’t you think?
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Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 7:50amWar is building around the world, and between the Middle East down upon Israel; this is not going to end well.
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ScarletRose
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:32amWell, it won’t end well for many. It will be interesting in most cases to see if “CIVILIZED” PEOPLE have pushed their luck FAR too far, for their own good.
“Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say ‘what should be the reward of such sacrifices?’ Bid us and our posterity bow the knee, supplicate the friendship and plough, and sow, and reap, to glut the avarice of the men who have let loose on us the dogs of war to riot in our blood and hunt us from the face of the earth? If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom – go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen!” – Samuel Adams – Speech at the State House, Philadelphia, August 1, 1776
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nzkiwi
Posted on October 9, 2012 at 9:52amNo, Snow, sadly it won’t end well.
There will be blood and tears, grief and loss.
Its an old story that just keeps repeating itself, as those young protesters will realise when they are older – assuming that they live through it, I suppose.
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