The perpetrators sprayed pro-Palestinian slogans on the walls, and four were arrested.
On Thursday afternoon, a group of masked individuals briefly occupied the rectorate of the Free University (FU) in Berlin. According to a police spokesperson, around 15 to 20 people entered the building and sprayed pro-Palestinian messages on the walls.
The FU spokesperson reported that the activists caused material damage, breaking doors and destroying office equipment. When the police arrived, the group attempted to flee, but four individuals—one man and three women—were arrested.
The group also hung a banner from a window in English, referencing the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Berlin’s Science Senator Ina Czyborra condemned the act, stating that the perpetrators had attacked university staff and caused damage to the institution’s property. The university’s rector, Günter M. Ziegler, called the attack “a breach of all boundaries.”
“We see this as an attack on the Free University of Berlin and our efforts to foster dialogue on this challenging and important topic,” Ziegler said, referring to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
