Man scales pole to hoist Palestinian flag at German Bundestag

A man scaled a flag pole at the German parliament building in Berlin to replace the German flag with a Palestinian one, police said on Sunday.

Firefighters removed the Palestinian flag around midday and the 22-year-old was detained, alongside a companion, a police spokeswoman said.

Police said he had held out on the flag pole outside Germany's iconic Reichstag building for about an hour, secured by climbing equipment.

He was supported by two men, aged 20 and 32, who were filming the stunt from the ground, according to police.

All three men are German citizens, the spokeswoman said.

The man who climbed the mast is to be handed over to a police unit specializing in politically motivated crimes, while his 20-year-old supporter was later released from police custody and ordered to leave the area. The 32-year-old was merely ordered to leave the area.

The activist group Peacefully Against Genocide claimed responsibility for the action on Sunday morning, calling for "civil society solidarity with the people of Palestine."

Police are investigating on suspicion of denigrating the state and its symbols, suspicion of causing damage to property to the detriment of the community, a breach of the Berlin Freedom of Assembly Act, and suspicion of trespass.