Large-scale protests erupted in Berlin, Germany on Saturday, as demonstrators condemned U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran and called for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve conflicts.
Crowds gathered in central Berlin, with people from across Germany, social groups, and peace organizations taking to the streets. Waving banners and chanting slogans, protesters voiced strong opposition to recent U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran.
"This is clearly a war of aggression. Iran has done nothing and has never expressed any intention to attack Israel or the United States. There is no justification for war, so this is an unprovoked act of aggression. According to international law, this is a war of aggression and a violation of international law," said one protester.
"They are not playing by the rules, just as they did during the Iraq war. The United States has long violated international law, and in recent years, this has only gotten worse. The latest examples clearly show this is a blatant violation of international law," said another protester.
Energy concerns were also a major focus of the demonstration. Analysts said that with heightened tensions in the Middle East, energy market volatility has increased, and Europe's dependence on U.S. energy has become more pronounced.
"Germany is particularly affected by energy issues. We have already reduced imports of natural gas and oil from Russia as much as possible, and imports from the Middle East are no longer feasible. In reality, only the U.S. and Norway remain as suppliers. The U.S. can easily use this as leverage against Germany, for example, by saying, 'If you don't join efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz, we can reduce LNG and oil exports to Germany and even all of Europe.' I am concerned this could happen," said Michael Lueders, prominent Middle East scholar.
Massive protests against US, Israel strikes on Iran erupt in Berlin
The newly upgraded Huanggang Port connecting the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Chinese mainland recorded more than 3.44 million inbound and outbound passenger trips in its first month of operation, averaging 114,000 per day -- a 120 percent year-on-year increase, as Shenzhen prepares for the 2026 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Week.
With the event approaching, all 25 APEC-dedicated channels across Shenzhen's ports in south China have been opened to facilitate the entry of participants and media from APEC member economies.
The upgraded Huanggang Port is operating smoothly, with its single-day passenger flow recently hitting the highest level since 2019.
At Huanggang Port, travelers now only need to queue once and present their documents once to complete immigration procedures for both sides.
"Usually it takes about one minute to go through customs on both sides. My fastest time was 36 seconds," said a passenger from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Huanggang Port is the only 24-hour land passenger port between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
Since November, Shenzhen's ports have opened a total of 25 APEC-dedicated inspection channels. Among them, the Huanggang Border Inspection Station has processed 14,000 trips of foreign nationals from APEC economies, a month-on-month increase of 102 percent. "Facing the continuous high passenger flow, the Huanggang Border Inspection Station has strengthened early warning and analysis, continuously enhanced communication and coordination with the Hong Kong side, cross-border operating units, and foreign affairs departments, and reinforced our multilingual service team to ensure efficient and smooth customs clearance," said Yang Huan, staff member at the Huanggang Border Inspection Station.
As China's largest single port building and the world's largest land port complex, the facility covers a total floor area of 689,700 square meters, featuring four underground and five above-ground floors.
The original Huanggang Port, which opened in 1989, was China's first large-scale land port with 24-hour clearance. Reconstruction on the original site began in 2019 to meet the surging demand for cross-border passage.
Upgraded Huanggang Port handles over 3.44 million passenger trips in first month
