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BERLIN (AP) — Berlin's police are apologizing for preventing the display of the Israeli flag during a soccer game in the German capital.
During Sunday's second division game between Berlin's 1. FC Union and FC Ingolstadt, police ordered fans to remove an Israeli flag they had unfurled in support of Amog Cohen, an Israeli player with the Ingolstadt team.
Police president Klaus Kandt said Monday that ordering the fans to put the flag away was a mistake by the police officer on the scene who interpreted the display of the flag as a prohibited political statement.
Kandt said that "It's the police's job to protect the freedom of expression. The demand to roll up the flag was the incorrect decision for which I apologize to those concerned."
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