Watermelons and Handala: Germany outlines symbols of 'secular pro-Palestinian extremism'

Germany’s domestic intelligence services have produced a dossier detailing “secular pro-Palestinian extremism” in the country. 

The report by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) includes sections on “antisemitism in secular pro-Palestinian extremism”, “symbols and identifying marks”, and “networking between pro-Palestinian extremists, left-wing extremists and Islamists”.

“Secular pro-Palestinian extremism in this country is extremely heterogeneous and comprises various organisations, movements, networks, and individuals,” the report says, mentioning the existence of long-standing groups and ones that formed after the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023.

The BfV describes these groups and individuals as being united in “their hostility towards Israel, whose right to exist they regularly refuse to recognise and against which they often agitate in a manner contrary to international understanding”.

Referring to protests against Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Germany’s BfV says that, particularly in Berlin, “statements or displays with anti-Israel, and sometimes antisemitic, content are regularly made or displayed”. 

German police have cracked down on pro-Palestinian protests since they began. Protests have been banned and leading German politicians have reiterated the country’s “staatsrason”, or reason of state, a principle that places support for Israel at the core of Germany's national identity.

Last month, police in Berlin arrested demonstrators, including minors. Footage taken over the course of multiple days showed officers forcing people to the ground, dragging them away and aggressively restraining them. The demonstrations remained non-violent before police intervened, the footage showed.

“They [have been] arrest[ing] us for three years until now,” one protester said. “Just because we are Palestinian, and they are committed to a genocide. They are fascism.” 

In March, the families and lawyers of anti-arms trade activists accused of breaking into a facility owned by Israel's largest weapons manufacturer in Germany said the detainees faced “extreme isolation” in prison under highly restrictive conditions. 

Shortly after the genocide in Gaza began, Robert Habeck, then Germany’s vice chancellor, addressed Israelis in a video message, promising them that “we stand at your side, and we have forgotten nothing” - an apparent reference to his country's role in the Holocaust.

Between 1941 and 1945, Germany’s Nazi government and its collaborators systematically murdered around 6 million Jews. 

Germany is Israel’s second-largest supplier of arms behind the US, though it briefly suspended some shipments in October 2025 after Israel approved a ground offensive to take over Gaza City. Arms transfers from Germany to Israel resumed in November.

On 21 April, Germany, together with Italy, blocked a motion by Spain, Ireland and Slovenia to suspend the EU-Israel trade agreement.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul declared the three countries’ move to be “inappropriate”, saying: “We have to talk with Israel about the critical issues… that has to be done in a critical, constructive dialogue with Israel.”

Israel's right to exist

The BfV states in its dossier: “Secular pro-Palestinian extremists regularly deny Israel's right to exist and its security interest in maintaining the integrity of its territory.”

The report features a map of Israel and the Palestinian territories. 

The concept of Israel's “right to exist” is regularly aired by its defenders, despite there being no provision in international law guaranteeing such a right to any country, with statehood generally deemed as a political rather than legal reality.

While liberal democracies have typically enacted laws to protect the rights of individuals, fascist regimes such as Nazi Germany removed protections for civil rights and free speech, empowering the state and enabling its expansion.

The State of Israel has expanded since its creation - by force, following the expulsion of 750,000 Palestinians from their homes - and its borders have continued to change since the genocide in Gaza began, with Israel now occupying more than half of the strip and advancing into southern Lebanon.

“Behind apparent criticism of the Israeli state, antisemitic agitation is often concealed, as no distinction is made between the actions of the Israeli state and those of the Jewish religious community, and anti-Jewish stereotypes are projected onto Israel,” the BfV says of pro-Palestinian protesters. 

This statement is followed by a picture of a house in Germany sprayed with two slogans: “Free Palestine!” and “Fck Isr”. 

'Symbolism of a cut watermelon'

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency names “relevant actors” in the “secular pro-Palestinian extremism” world, including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

“The aforementioned actors ostensibly demand the implementation of the two-state solution, but directly or implicitly endorse the terrorism of Hamas, PIJ [Palestinian Islamic Jihad], and PFLP, and describe the terrorist attack of 7 October 2023, as a legitimate ‘act of resistance’,” the BfV says about BDS-affiliated groups. 

The report also mentions “extremist Palestinian individuals” who “contribute significantly to the further increase in radicalisation and the willingness to use violence”.

'Here, the outline of the entire State of Israel is depicted in the colours of the Palestinian flag (as a sliced watermelon), thereby denying Israel's right to exist'

It then goes on to a section on “symbols and identifying marks”, which includes the slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and the “symbolism of a cut watermelon”.

“The watermelon, alluding to the colours of the Palestinian flag, is a symbol of solidarity with Palestine. Here, the outline of the entire state of Israel is depicted in the colours of the Palestinian flag (as a sliced watermelon), thereby denying Israel's right to exist,” the BfV says.

Handala, the 10-year-old refugee boy was created in 1969 by cartoonist Naji Al-Ali as a means of expressing the Palestinian experience, is also one of the "Symbols and identifying marks" of the network mapped out by the BfV.

In its section on “networking between pro-Palestinian extremists, left-wing extremists and Islamists”, the BfV states: “Hatred of Israel and antisemitism serve as a common narrative between the different extremist spectrums, ideologies and groups. This applies to Islamist Palestinian organisations, German and Turkish left-wing extremists, but also to Turkish right-wing extremists.

“Secular pro-Palestinian extremists act as a link between the various extremist factions. 

“They create ideological connections between Islamist and left-wing narratives and form new networks. In doing so, they exploit the precarious humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to make pro-Palestinian protests appealing to diverse political movements, as well as to civil society.”

The word “genocide” is mentioned once by the BfV to refer to accusations levelled at Israel. The destruction of Gaza and killing of more than 73,000 Palestinians by Israel is referred to as a “situation”. 

The slogan “if Gaza burns, Berlin burns” is mentioned as a threat and an example of extremism.