German authorities have decided to ban the annual “Jerusalem Day” march in support of the Palestinian cause in Berlin this year.

Police confirmed to Der Tagesspiegel newspaper that the march, originally scheduled for May 8, has been canceled.

Michael Fischer, head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in the State of Berlin, had previously stated that there were no preparations to hold “Jerusalem Day” events this year on a regional and national level, suggesting that the event might be held by default, in light of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The “Jerusalem Day” march in Berlin was canceled last year also due to the Corona outbreak.

According to media reports, about 2,000 people registered to participate in this year’s march.

Jewish groups have been campaigning for years to persuade German authorities to impose a total ban on the “Jerusalem Day” marches organized since 1979 at the initiative of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini.

In 2016, German authorities banned the raising of “Hezbollah” flags during this march.