Protests Outside Babylon Kino as Francesca Albanese Speaks on Gaza
Around 150 people gathered in Mitte as Francesca Albanese accused Germany of complicity in what she called Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Wednesday, April 1
The backlash began before she even took the stage. On Monday evening, as UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese arrived at the Babylon cinema, protesters gathered outside — some waving Israeli flags, others holding posters that veered from political messaging to open provocation, including one declaring, “I am proud of the ruins of Gaza". The slogan is a direct quote from Knesset member May Golan, who made the remark in a parliamentary speech in February 2024 — although the intent behind its display at Monday's protest remains unclear.
According to reporting by taz, around 150 people took part in demonstrations against the sold-out event, which was a special two-night screening of the documentary film Disunited Nations - The UN and the Middle East and a discussion with Albanese afterward.
Albanese, who has faced sustained political pressure internationally, has served as the UN's designated monitor for the occupied Palestinian territories since 2022. Critics have accused her of antisemitism, while supporters defended her right to speak.
Inside the cinema, Albanese delivered a clear message. Germany, she argued, could face consequences under international law for its support of Israel. “You can criticise me as much as you want, but that doesn’t protect you from your responsibility.” The statements were reportedly met with applause.
In her role, Albanese has repeatedly concluded – alongside human rights organisations and genocide scholars – that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. She accuses the Israeli government of deliberately creating life-threatening conditions through the restriction of food, water, electricity and medical care.
You can criticise me as much as you want, but that doesn’t protect you from your responsibility.
Her position has made her a target. She has been sanctioned by the United States, barred from entering Israel and the Palestinian territories, and faced repeated calls for her resignation from European politicians, including Germany's foreign ministry.
In February of this year, she became the target of a deliberate misinformation campaign: a video circulated by UN Watch, a pro-Israel lobby group, edited footage of Albanese speaking at an Al Jazeera forum in Doha to suggest she had called Israel "the common enemy of humanity." She had not. In the unedited recording, Albanese argued that humanity faces a common enemy in the political and financial systems enabling what she describes as a genocide in Gaza. And yet, on the basis of those false claims, German Minister of Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul declared her position "untenable," joining France and several other European governments in calling for her resignation. Nevertheless, Albanese remains in post; she was reconfirmed for another three-year term in April 2025.
Outside the event on Monday, tensions ran high: protesters opposing the event held banners accusing Albanese of spreading antisemitic narratives, while pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered across from them. Social media posts from participants described confrontations and shouted insults before and after the screening. Police said the protests remained peaceful.
Albanese, undeterred, took the stage again on Tuesday night for the second sold-out screening. Babylon has since announced that, due to high request, they've added extra screening dates for Disunited Nations; tickets are now bookable through April 8.
The film itself focused on what Albanese described as the failure of international law. “If Germany felt guilty,” she said, “the police would not be beating people protesting war crimes committed with weapons manufactured in this country.”
