‘Germany’s bravest protester’ supports Israel on her own, surrounded by pro-Palestinian demonstrators

Despite not being Israeli or Jewish, over the past several months Karoline Preisler has endangered herself time and again by demonstrating support for Israel at numerous pro-Palestinians held in Germany since Oct. 7.

The local German politician from the liberal FDP party usually goes at it alone, finding her place among the crowd while quietly lifting signs with messages like, “Rape is not resistance” or “Believe Israeli women.”

“It motivates me that this way, I can do something practical against the glorification of terror and antisemitism. And I would hold it against myself if I wouldn’t use my opportunities.”

“To remain silent would seem indecent to me because silence can act as a catalyst for Jew hatred,” Preisler told Jüdische Allgemeine (JA), Germany’s largest Jewish newspaper.

Her brave actions have earned much attention in Germany’s media landscape and included monikers like “Germany’s bravest protester” and “a woman with attitude.”

After first attending a large pro-Israeli gathering in Berlin last October, she realized her message was needed even more at pro-Palestinian demonstrations, where she has found herself threatened and even assaulted.

Since gaining popularity, Preisler is now required to announce her participation in protests to the local police ahead of time. The police will typically send up to 10 officers to secure her safety. Even so, she regularly has had her signs snatched away, and in May she was body-checked by a man and injured her shoulder.

לא ישראלית, לא יהודיה. מי היא קרולינה פרייסלר @PreislerKa שמוקפת שוטרים בכל ההפגנות הפרו-פלשתיניות בברלין ומתעקשת על האמת שלה/האמת שלנו? מיד ב #חדשותהערב עם @MichalRabi pic.twitter.com/iaXJtErrLA

— Dov Gil-Har (@DovGilHar) June 2, 2024

Preisler’s courageous stand was even noticed in Israel. State broadcaster KAN News recently filmed a report about her advocacy.

The politician, previously known for promoting Democracy, told KAN that partly motivated by the need to publicly provide a counterweight to the many lies being spread about Jews and Israel at pro-Palestinian protests.

“I have to tolerate them because we are a democratic country. But then, I want them to hear my counter-arguments. If someone says, ‘Jews are bad people,’ I’ll stand there and say, ‘that’s not true’.”

“And when somebody says, ‘rape is resistance,’ I tell them that rape is not resistance,” Preisler added.

Anti-Israeli protests in Germany are mainly attended by radical leftists and foreigners, she told Jüdische Allgemeine.

“Without looking at their passports – their outward appearance, of course, doesn’t reveal their nationality – I believe that people with an immigrant background are leading in the current protests. And that left-wing extremists are very happy to join in with this hatred of Jews,” she said.

While Preisler has received death threats from radical right-wing extremists in the past, she emphasized: “None of that is anything compared to the extremists from the pro-Palestinian scene who are now attacking me online and on the street.”

“The willingness to use violence is high, the inhibition is low. Even women are violent. In November 2023, I was threatened with rape at a demonstration. I have now stopped counting these threats. Most recently, Hamas in Germany has called for my execution,” she said.