Berlin (dpa) – After occupying an empty hostel in Berlin-Mitte, the police cleared the building on Saturday afternoon. Six people were escorted out of the house, said a spokeswoman for the German Press Agency. Their personal details have been recorded. The spokeswoman said it was being investigated for trespassing after the homeowner had filed a complaint. Dozens of people had gathered in front of the building for a spontaneous rally. According to the police, the mood was peaceful.
Activists had taken over the former hostel on Alte Schönhauser Straße in the morning. The “Hostels to Housing” initiative called for it to be used as self-managed accommodation for refugees. Several banners were hung on the building. These were removed in the afternoon.
The police had already arrived in the morning with around 30 emergency services. However, a spokesman initially emphasized that the usual procedure was to contact the owner of the building and discuss how to proceed. In the afternoon, the operations management decided to inspect the object. According to the spokesman, 60 forces were deployed for this purpose.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220430-99-108742/4
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