Well, here was a demonstration the likes of which I wasn't expecting to see.
Yesterday, I had to be over in Berlin for work. In the taxi on the way from the hotel where the conference was on the way back to the hotel where my wife and I were staying, our way was blocked a huge parade-like demonstration going on for a couple of KM. Whistles and drums and shouted unintelligible slogans, and my admiration for their dedication, as it was about 10° F out there, windy, with patches of solid ice on the streets. But what really stood out was the huge number of flags. Maybe 60% of them flags of Iran, both with the Islamic Republic symbol in the middle as well as the old lion-and-the-sword. Another 25% or so were flags of the USA, and the rest were the flag of Israel. I think I may have seen a German flag or two, but maybe I just imagined it.
If the temperature had been a little more tolerable, I think I would have jumped out of the taxi to ask what the occasion was. I don’t recall a joint miles-long procession of Iranians (both imperial and Islamic), Americans and Israelis any time in the recent past, and certainly not big enough to paralyze the center of Berlin for an hour or two. I can only wonder what would have brought Iran and Israel together like this except maybe an alphabetical listing of UN members.
This was really a strange weekend to be in Berlin, and clearly, not everyone had been told everything. My ex-Mossad friends were there, and their head guy told me there must have been more going on than even the high-ups had been told. On Saturday, he told me that at one large meeting, an acquaintance tapped him on the shoulder, and said he wanted to introduce him to someone. He turned around and found himself shaking hands with the head of the Central Bank of Iran, who clearly did NOT know who was on the other end of the handshake.
Like Jim Morrison sang, “weird scenes inside the gold mine.”
= new reply since forum marked as read
It looks like something big was bringing out all these diverse people. But what?
No idea. Thanks for showing us this. Maybe there might be clues in coming days.
The protests came after some parties voted alongside the far-right party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), over a non-binding resolution on immigration last week.
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz, who is tipped to be Germany's next chancellor, had tried to rely on support from AfD twice last week, including for a bill aimed at curbing immigration.
The move sparked anger among many, with organisers of the demonstration saying people had turned out to condemn what they see as a breach of the country's agreement not to work with the far right at the national level.
The demonstrations come three weeks before national elections and follow similar protests across Germany on Saturday.
Police estimate that about 160,000 people came out to protest on Sunday. The rally began just outside the Bundestag, Germany's parliament building and moved on towards the CDU's headquarters.
Protester Anna Schwarz, 34, told AFP she was joining a political rally for the first because "we can no longer avert our gaze".
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpqlyr02125o
