The Irish ambassador to Germany has conveyed her concern to German authorities after an Irish demonstrator was assaulted by police officers during a pro-Palestine protest in Berlin.
Videos posted on social media showed Kitty O’Brien being struck twice in the face by a German officer and subsequently dragged away from the demonstration in support of Palestine on Rosenthaler Street in the German capital on Thursday.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said the Ambassador of Ireland to Germany Maeve Collins and senior officials from the department have contacted German authorities in relation to the incident.
A spokesperson added that officials in the department “stand ready to provide consular assistance to the citizen concerned, should they request it”.
Watch: Moment demonstrator assaulted by Berlin police officers
Irish Bloc Berlin, of which the Irish protestor is a member, said Kitty O’Brien is undergoing surgery for an arm injury sustained during the incident.
The group said O’Brien’s right arm “was pulled and then twisted with great force, snapping the bone” while they were dragged from the protest.
They were then taken to Berlin’s Charité hospital for treatment, it added.
In a statement, the group said officers “showed no concern for our comrade’s condition and instead broke into a fit of one-sided violence”.
It reported that its member had been targeted by police on two previous occasions, including on “Nakba Day, and in April for speaking Irish outside the Irish embassy in Berlin, during a protest challenging illegal deportation orders against two Irish citizens”.
Kitty O’Brien was subsequently dragged away from the demonstration in support of Palestine
The Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign group described actions by the Berlin Police as “indefensible”.
“This is the latest shameful incident in a laundry list of brutal attacks on peaceful Palestine protestors,” they added.
Berlin Police said in a statement that it has reported the incident to its police watchdog, Directorate for Police Offenses at the Berlin State Criminal Police Office, “to determine whether any aspects of the police response may be disproportionate or of criminal relevance”.
A spokesperson added that they refused to comply and “insulted verbally” and “offended physically” several police officers despite “repeated orders” to leave the area.
It added: “Officers were compelled to use immediate force, including selected targeted strikes, to overcome the resistance and carry out the arrest.
“Moreover the individual repeatedly suggested that (Kitty O’Brien) may be ‘punched in the face’ and failed to leave the area although officers permanently repeated orders to do so.”
Berlin Police said around 100 people in attendance at the protest were asked to leave the “unauthorized gathering” after individuals had “shown themselves to be verbally aggressive towards the emergency services”.
Berlin Police said 96 criminal investigations were initiated following the demonstration
It added that subsequently “expulsions had to be enforced by emergency services, sometimes by force”.
In a separate statement, it said 96 criminal investigations were initiated, “including on suspicion of using signs of unconstitutional and terrorist organisations, assault on and resistance to law enforcement officers, insult, bodily injury and suspicion of unauthorised residence”.
“All persons were later released on the spot after their identities were established,” it added.
Labour TD Duncan Smith said he has contacted the Tánaiste “to register my deeply concern and to seek answers from his German counterpart”.
A spokesperson for Sinn Féin added that “highlighting the ongoing devastation and the inhumane slaughter of defenceless civilians in Palestine and Gaza is not a crime”.