"Genocide perpetrator": The pro-Palestinian protest that got complicated at Oktoberfest

Youth members of the left-wing party "Die Linke" protested for the "liberation of Palestine" at the Oktoberfest celebrations in Munich's city hall. Council member Jörg Hoffmann demanded they stop, and after being refused, security removed them. Three women from the group who remained in the hall slapped Hoffmann after calling him a "genocide perpetrator." Mayor Dominik Krause banned their further participation in the festivities.

During the official Oktoberfest celebrations at Munich's city hall, youth wing members of the left-wing party "Die Linke" used the event for a pro-Palestinian protest. The young people wore spoons, displayed watermelon symbols, and sang traditional Bavarian melodies with the slogan "Free Palestine" alongside anti-Israeli chants. Bavaria and Munich are known as pro-Israeli, and the protest was seen as a provocation. Council member Jörg Hoffmann (FDP) approached the group and demanded they stop; after being refused, security removed them. Three women from the group who were not in the hall at the time of the removal returned to the table, got into an argument with Hoffmann, called him a "genocide perpetrator and friend of genocide perpetrators," and one of them slapped him. Mayor Dominik Krause, known for his support of Israel, banned the left-wing youth from further participation in the festivities. The parliamentary group leader of the Left Party, Stefan Jegel, condemned the violence and apologized to Hoffmann. Hoffmann did not file a police complaint but demands a discussion in the city council.