BERLIN, March 1: Detested for nearly three decades as a symbol of oppression, the Berlin Wall again sparked angry protests on Friday when a crane began dismantling a segment under plans for a new housing development.

About 200 demonstrators of all ages gathered in front of the Wall's longest remaining stretch where police grimly stood between them and the barrier that once made East Berliners prisoners of their own country.

“Berlin Is Selling Itself and Its History”, “Berlin Sell-Out” read some placards, while a protester poignantly shouted “We want our Wall” — the paradox of protesting to save the Wall seems not to be lost.

“It's a cultural heritage and the only place in the world besides Israel with a wall dividing people. We should be able to experience that,” said Berlin resident Riet Meert, 32, from Belgium, who owns a DJ booking agency.

Protestors argue that especially because of the pain the Wall caused — dozens died in dramatic attempts to flee the communist state of East Germany — it should be preserved and not forgotten.

Former US president Ronald Reagan famously implored the Soviet Union's Mikhail Gorbachev to “Tear down this wall!” in a speech at the iconic Brandenburg Gate near the Berlin Wall two years before it fell.

“They're pulling down our history here,” 72-year-old former West Berliner Monika Wang complained. Even the bad times must be remembered, she added grumbling that history was being “sacrificed” because Berlin is still cheap for investors.Thrown up in 1961, the Wall stretched 155 kilometres and divided the city until 1989, but today only around three kilometres of it still stand with the longest stretch running 1.3km, known as the East Side Gallery.

Since 1990, the outdoor gallery has been covered in brightly coloured graffiti murals, including the famous “Fraternal Kiss” depicting Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and his East German counterpart Erich Honecker.

The 3.6-metre high stretch is a popular tourist magnet and a must-see for history buffs retracing the dark chapter of the division who are otherwise hard pressed to find remnants of the Wall to photograph.—AFP