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Karoline Preisler

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Karoline Preisler
Born (1971-07-03) July 3, 1971 (age 54)
Berlin, Germany
Occupation(s)politician, lawyer

Karoline Preisler (born 3 July 1971 in East Berlin) is a German pro-Israel politician and lawyer. She is known for her counter-protests at pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Berlin.[1]

Education and career

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Preisler attended high school in Berlin and studied law at the University of Potsdam. From 2004 to 2012 she worked as a lawyer in Berlin and subsequently in Barth, Germany. Preisler joined the Free Democratic Party in 2013 and was initially active in local politics. From 2014 to 2023 she was chairwoman of the Arno Esch Foundation, a party-affiliated foundation of the FDP Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.[2]

Protests

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Preisler, according to her own statements, attended demonstrations whose goals she did not share in order to seek direct contact with demonstrators and engage in dialogue with them. She began with "one-woman counter-demonstrations" during the COVID pandemic.[3] In March 2020, Preisler became infected with the coronavirus. She was initially quarantined at home with her children and then treated in a clinic. She reported on the course of the illness and the accompanying symptoms in a "corona diary" on Twitter.[4] At demonstrations against the coronavirus measures, Preisler presented herself as a "voice of reason" and deliberately exposed herself to confrontation with supporters of opposing beliefs.[5]

Karoline Preisler demonstrating with sign "Rape is not Resistance" at pro-Palestinian demonstration in Berlin
"Months have passed. Bring the Israeli hostages home. Stop the growing anti-Semitism. Stop the terror against Israel."

At pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Berlin in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel and Gaza war, Preisler counter-protested with signs about sexual and gender-based violence during the attack.[6] She regularly displayed a sign reading "Rape is not resistance", "Believe Israeli Women" and photos of the German-Israeli Shani Louk, who was killed during the attack.[6]  According to the Tagesspiegel, her 'trademark' at the demonstrations is "bouquets of flowers, cardboard signs and bright coat colors".[7] Preisler decided on this form of protest "a long time ago" following an NPD rally against an asylum shelter.[7] She required police protection at pro-Palestinian protests following physical attacks against her.[8]

During a neo-Nazi march through Berlin-Mitte in February 2025, Preisler stood in front of a neo-Nazi and held up a sign with the slogan "Against Antisemitism", while holding a bouquet of flowers in her other hand.[9]

Preisler was awarded the 2024 Eugen Kogon Prize.[10]

Publications

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  • Enduring Democracy! On Arguing in a Society of Outrage. Hirzel, Stuttgart, 2021. ISBN 978-3-7776-2944-5

Personal life

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Preisler had previously been in a relationship with former Bundestag member Hagen Reinhold who left her for former pornographic actress Annina Ucatis.[11] She is neither Jewish nor Israeli.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Uniyal, Vijeta (2025-01-02). "Karoline Preisler: How One German Woman Stands Up To Antisemitic Hate". Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  2. ^ "Karoline Preisler: "Barth is close to my heart"". OZ - Ostsee Zeitung (in German). 2018-10-19. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  3. ^ Baumgärtel, Tilman (2024-07-15). "FDP politician on demonstration activism: "Sometimes there are many conversations"". taz.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  4. ^ Grieshaber, Kirsten (2020-03-17). "Dear Corona Diary: German patient gives updates on Twitter". AP News. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  5. ^ Gräf, Dennis; Hennig, Martin (2024-10-28). Corona and Media Publics (in German). Wiesbaden: Springer VS. p. 84. ISBN 978-3-658-45502-6.
  6. ^ a b c "'Germany's bravest protester' supports Israel on her own, surrounded by pro-Palestinian demonstrators". All Israel News. 2024-05-18. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  7. ^ a b Ide, Robert (2024-08-21). "I am the mosquito in the bedroom: Interview with activist Karoline Preisler". Tagesspiegel Checkpoint (in German). Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  8. ^ Mediengruppe, FUNKE (2025-03-19). "Berlin-Mitte: FDP politician Karoline Preisler attacked at demonstration". Berliner Morgenpost (in German). Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  9. ^ Nowak, Peter (2025-02-23). "Antifascists block neo-Nazis: With protest signs and bouquets of flowers". taz.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  10. ^ Fritzen, Florentine (2025-04-02). "Winner of the 2024 Eugen Kogon Prize". FAZ.NET (in German). Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  11. ^ "Hagen Reinhold & Annina Ucatis: Annina wehrt sich gegen die Fremdgehvorwürfe". BUNTE.de (in German). 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
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