Karoline Preisler

Karoline Preisler (born 3 July 1971 in East Berlin) is a German activist and politician. The lawyer is best known for her counter-protests at pro-Palestinian protests in Berlin.

Education and career 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-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania).

Protests Preisler attended demonstrations. She began with "one-woman counter-demonstrations" during the COVID pandemic. 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. 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.

"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 attacks and the ensuing Gaza war, Preisler counter-protested with signs about sexual and gender-based violence during the attack. 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. Preisler decided on this form of protest "a long time ago" following an NPD rally against an asylum shelter.

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.

Preisler was awarded the 2024 Eugen Kogon Prize.

Publications Demokratie aushalten! Über das Streiten in der Empörungsgesellschaft. (Democracy endures! Arguing in a society prone to outrage) Hirzel, Stuttgart, 2021.

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