German authorities have cancelled the cultural festival “Palestine in Berlin” and frozen its public funding after promotional materials were found to include symbols identified by security services as Hamas propaganda.
The festival, scheduled for January 24–25 in Berlin’s Reinickendorf district, was meant to showcase Palestinian "cultural and artistic expression."
However, a routine administrative review by district authorities identified the use of inverted red triangles in the event’s promotional materials. While the red triangle also appears in the Palestinian flag, German security agencies have recently classified the inverted red triangle as a symbol used by Hamas, which Germany officially designates as a terrorist organization.
Following the review, Berlin authorities revoked the festival’s permit and froze approximately €85,000 in annual public funding allocated to the organizing association, Salam eV, pending a broader compliance investigation. According to foreign media reports, the association issued a formal apology, claiming the design was produced by an external contractor and not approved internally. The group pledged to respect German law and to separate cultural activity from any political or extremist symbolism.
