A PRO-PALESTINE protestor with West Cork links who was badly beaten by Berlin police faces uncertainty after being discharged from hospital.
Kitty O’Brien (25) was hospitalised after the attack which resulted in a broken nose and broken humerous bone.
The activist and artist came out of hospital on Friday following surgery and is still recovering.
But Kitty, whose father lives in Goleen, vowed to get back to demonstrations in Berlin as soon as possible.
They said: ‘My surgeon and other staff at the hospital were really, really lovely and just completely appalled at what the police had done to me.’
Kitty said what kept them going was the support and visits from friends and fellow activists who were by their bedside every day.
The police officer behind the attack is still on duty and Berlin police have started an internal investigation.
‘The doctors have said that the capacity for [arm]movement should be back by now but it isn’t,’ said Kitty. ‘They said that there is permanent nerve damage. At the moment I don’t know if I’m going to work again, or when or how. It’s a big change and I hope that I will finally regain function of my hand and get back to doing what I love doing.
‘In the next few weeks I’ll be doing lots of physiotherapy and friends will help me with basic stuff like cooking. I will definitely come back to West Cork when I’m okay to travel and I think it will be a good way of relaxing and getting ready for more fighting.’
Kitty has been coming to West Cork since childhood and was in Skibbereen just days before the attack, speaking at a West Cork for Palestine rally and spending time with their father in Goleen.
‘The people I met at the West Cork for Palestine demo before the assault were such a strong community,’ said Kitty.
The 25-year-old, who often takes a bodhrán to protests, said they were arrested in April for speaking Irish outside the Irish Embassy in Berlin where police told demonstrators it was illegal to speak Irish.
Creative Kitty studied Fine Art and has been working freelance, designing costumes for theatre, drag and burlesque shows.
A recent production showcasing their costumes was Ham Sandwiches and Discipline as part of the Fit-Up Theatre Festival.
Geoff Gould, founder of the Fit-Up Theatre Festival, said he hoped an apology would be forthcoming from the German police for unacceptable behaviour.
He said: ‘Kitty did a superb job of costume design for our production… Sometimes in life you see weak men taking advantage of a situation and Kitty’s treatment by the German police was reprehensible.
‘While an instant nervous reaction could result in a reactionary punch, several punches to an unarmed person infers violent intent by the officer who should be severely reprimanded.’
Footage of the attack has gone viral, with journalists and podcasters from across the globe interviewing the outspoken activist about the attack.
Beate Streicher, expert on policing and human rights at Amnesty International Germany, said: ‘The eyewitness accounts and videos of the violence used against Kitty O’Brien, including two punches to the face, are part of a series of reports of disproportionate police violence against demonstrators in Germany, particularly in the context of solidarity with Palestine.
‘The use of force against Kitty O’Brien was serious, and it is not clear to what extent these constitutional principles were observed. The Berlin police are now conducting an internal investigation, but this is not enough. Amnesty International has been calling for years for independent investigations in the context of policing, with clear consequences for officers who act unlawfully and support for those affected.’
Berlin Police were contacted for comment.
