ambassador to Maeve Collins, as well as senior officials from Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs, have contacted German authorities to convey their concern over the police hitting an Irish woman at a against on Thursday, according to Irish media reports.
A department spokesperson quoted by Irish national broadcaster RTE said officials “stand ready to provide consular assistance to the citizen concerned.”
Video posted online showed a protester later identified as 25-year-old Dubliner Kitty O’Brien being hit twice in the face by before being dragged away with blood running from her nose.
Later in the video, the bloodied O’Brien can be seen defiantly yelling at police, “You don’t f*cking scare us! This is on you. There is blood on your hands.”
Who is Kitty O’Brien and what happened to her in Berlin?
The group Irish Bloc Berlin — which bills itself as a “community of activists” with a “common commitment to Palestinian liberation” and resistance to “Germany’s systematic and racialized silencing of pro-Palestinian voices” — said O’Brien, a member, had undergone surgery for a badly broken right arm, claiming it “was pulled and then twisted with great force, snapping the bone.”
Berlin police say they have referred the incident to oversight authorities to determine whether police acted disproportionately or criminally.
O’Brien was expected to remain hospitalized for several days.
Arrests were made after numerous direct warnings were given that protesters end their event and disperse, said police, who added that orders were ignored and countered with on the part of protesters.
Police said “officers were compelled” to use force, adding that O’Brien had been warned several times that she faced a physical response if she continued to resist orders.
Police reported that O’Brien “refused to comply and insulted verbally and offended physically, several police officers,” alleging that O’Brien called police officers “genocide supporters” and “f*cking Nazis.”
Other video posted online showed a long verbal and physical interaction between O’Brien and police before she was struck.
Thursday’s “civil disobedience demonstration” was deemed illegal by authorities as it was .
Police say roughly 94 people were detained on Thursday with all being released after their identities were established.
Authorities say they have begun a total of 96 as a result of the event.
Have there been further reactions to O’Brien’s treatment?
Kitty O’Brien’s treatment at the hands of police in Berlin has now , with a few dozen individuals there voicing anger.
O’Brien’s aunt, a Dublin City Council member, was among those protesting, saying, “What you have here is a bunch of mostly young Irish people standing up for international law and standing up for the people of Gaza and Palestine, which is effectively been made illegal to do in Berlin at this stage.”
Prime Minister Micheal Martin called the incident “unacceptable,” with he, too, voicing “deep concern.”
Berlin police have previously come under criticism for their handling of pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Edited by Sean Sinico
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