Well, here was a demonstration the likes of which I wasn't expecting to see.

[DFW]

Yesterday, I had to be over in Berlin for work. In the taxi on the way from the hotel where the conference was on the way back to the hotel where my wife and I were staying, our way was blocked a huge parade-like demonstration going on for a couple of KM. Whistles and drums and shouted unintelligible slogans, and my admiration for their dedication, as it was about 10° F out there, windy, with patches of solid ice on the streets. But what really stood out was the huge number of flags. Maybe 60% of them flags of Iran, both with the Islamic Republic symbol in the middle as well as the old lion-and-the-sword. Another 25% or so were flags of the USA, and the rest were the flag of Israel. I think I may have seen a German flag or two, but maybe I just imagined it.

If the temperature had been a little more tolerable, I think I would have jumped out of the taxi to ask what the occasion was. I don’t recall a joint miles-long procession of Iranians (both imperial and Islamic), Americans and Israelis any time in the recent past, and certainly not big enough to paralyze the center of Berlin for an hour or two. I can only wonder what would have brought Iran and Israel together like this except maybe an alphabetical listing of UN members.

This was really a strange weekend to be in Berlin, and clearly, not everyone had been told everything. My ex-Mossad friends were there, and their head guy told me there must have been more going on than even the high-ups had been told. On Saturday, he told me that at one large meeting, an acquaintance tapped him on the shoulder, and said he wanted to introduce him to someone. He turned around and found himself shaking hands with the head of the Central Bank of Iran, who clearly did NOT know who was on the other end of the handshake.

Like Jim Morrison sang, “weird scenes inside the gold mine.”

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Thanks for your riveting report, my dear DFW! You are always worth reading.

It looks like something big was bringing out all these diverse people. But what?

No idea. Thanks for showing us this. Maybe there might be clues in coming days.

[justaprogressive]

2. Protest against Iran

Last edited Mon Feb 2, 2026, 12:20 PM - Edit history (1)

Berlin, Germany. 31st Jan, 2026. On Saturday, January 31, 2026, demonstrators gathered in Berlin to protest against Iran's ruling clerical establishment, calling for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic and voicing support for Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi.

Here

[DFW]

3. Ummm, I'm sure you meant well, but that's not gonna fly.

I started reading, and when the article mentioned Merz, who everybody expected to be the next chancellor, Alarm bells went off. Merz has been chancellor for months now, and his refusal to work with the AfD is (fortunately!) old news.

So, something had to be off. It was. The article’s date was Feb. 2. That’s tomorrow. and sure enough, it was dated Feb. 2 of last year.

I’ve been guilty of the same mistake, so you absolutely get a pass from me for the error.

However, it still leaves me completely bewildered as to what in the world brought 100,000 people onto the streets of Berlin in a very organized (those flags were high quality, uniform and very numerous) parade of both sides of the Iranian civil strife, side by side with flags of Israel and the USA. If no word is on tonight’s TV news (I’m in Düsseldorf), or in tomorrow’s papers, I’ll know something really weird was going on in Berlin (besides me, I mean) over the weekend. High-ranking, even if retired (sorta), Israeli warriors don’t usually bump into Iranian cabinet members by accident unless someone wanted that accident to happen.

Hurry up and wait.

[justaprogressive]

4. Actually it was this

Berlin, Germany. 31st Jan, 2026. On Saturday, January 31, 2026, demonstrators gathered in Berlin to protest against Iran's ruling clerical establishment, calling for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic and voicing support for Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi. Protesters waved Iranian flags used before the 1979 Islamic Revolution alongside Israeli, U.S., and German flags, and held signs denouncing Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei. Demonstrators called on U.S. President Donald Trump to take stronger action against Iran's government, chanting slogans urging Washington to ffinish the job and bring an end to the ruling mullah regime in Tehran.

HERE

[DFW]

5. Now THAT describes the event I saw

If the Pahlavi family was involved in its organization, it would explain the huge number of uniform, high quality flags, although not why so many of the Iranian flags were that of the current regime. One thing is for sure, you don’t see many parades with large numbers of Israeli flags and Iranian flags marching side by side. I suspect they were happy for the bitter cold. Even the fanatics were probably reticent to go out in weather like that. A friend of mine from Catalonia was also in town (not for that), and he had never been in weather like that. After falling flat on his face, he returned to Barcelona with three bloody bruises on his face and a broken arm.

[justaprogressive]

6. yes sorry about the error

this was still difficult to find!