09.11.2020 16:20 10.954
“Querdenker” in Leipzig: Voices for the demo night
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By Eric Hofmann
Leipzig / Dresden – From the street to parliament: the processes surrounding the Leipzig escalation should now be clarified in the interior committee. But there is also criticism from the federal government.
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Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (45, CDU) wants to review the corona protection ordinance after the “lateral thinker” demo. © Robert Michael / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa
“I’m pissed off at how they once again left the municipal level alone,” complains Leipzig’s Lord Mayor Burkhard Jung (62, SPD) and is annoyed about the Saxon corona protection ordinance and the court ruling that made the demo on Saturday possible.
Interior Minister Roland Wöller (50, CDU) also criticized the court (TAG24 reported). This had “approved the largest corona party with over 20,000 participants,” he said. Nonetheless, the police had ensured that the demonstration was largely peaceful and that the participants would flow away.
Yesterday, Wöller did not comment on the throwing of bottles and firecrackers or the attacks on journalists.
Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (45, CDU) announced yesterday that he would check whether the corona protection ordinance could be changed in order to prevent such demos in the future.
The Greens, at least part of the state government, demanded Wöller’s resignation.
Federal Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht (55, SPD) also called for clarification: “What we saw yesterday in Leipzig cannot be justified by anything,” said the politician. “The freedom to demonstrate is not a freedom to use violence and to massively endanger others,” she said.
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Federal Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht (55, SPD) calls for clarification. © Wolfgang Kumm / dpa
Greens called for the resignation of Interior Minister Roland Wöller (50, CDU). © Kristin Schmidt
In Leipzig on Saturday, more than 20,000 people took part in a demonstration by the “lateral thinking” movement against the Corona measures. While the majority of the participants protested peacefully, there were riots and attacks on both the police and media representatives on the fringes of the demo. © Sebastian Kahnert / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa
Such a situation in the midst of the pandemic should not be repeated.
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UPDATE, 7.45 a.m.: Interior Minister Seehofer: “The police have my full backing”
Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer (CSU) warned against rash criticism of the police after the massive violations of the rules at the Leipzig Corona demonstration and also called the courts to duty. “We must stop questioning the tactics of the police in retrospect without knowledge of details and without a complete picture via remote diagnosis. All those involved, the assembly authorities, the police and the courts must make responsible decisions in the light of the current infection situation,” he said on Sunday evening in a communication from his ministry.
“The right of assembly must be guaranteed, especially in times of crisis. But the rules of the assembly authorities must be observed and enforced,” said Seehofer. He added, “The police have my full backing.”
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UPDATE, 9.15 a.m.: Youth organizations are calling for consequences
The left-wing youth and the young liberals in Saxony have demanded consequences after the riots of the lateral thinkers demonstration on Saturday in Leipzig.
“Yesterday journalists were hunted, the health of all of us was put at risk and right-wing extremists who were prepared to use violence were able to move freely through Leipzig. I am stunned,” said Paul Podbielski from the Commissioner for Left Youth Saxony in a press release on Sunday evening. He accused the police of failure that must have consequences.
In addition to the left-wing youth, the young liberals also called for the resignation of Saxony’s Interior Minister Roland Wöller. “In his statements at the press conference on Sunday, Minister of State Wöller showed no willingness to take responsibility for the disastrously failed police operation,” said the state chairman of the Young Liberals of Saxony, Johannes Zeller, in a press release on Monday morning.
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UPDATE, 9.20 a.m.: According to Saxony-SPD, not only the court to blame for demo disaster
The chairman of the Saxon SPD parliamentary group, Dirk Panter, sees not only the Bautzen Higher Administrative Court responsible for the Leipzig demo debacle. “I’m initially stunned by what happened in Leipzig,” said Panter on Monday in the MDR. “But to blame that on the Higher Administrative Court alone, I think jumped too short.”
The mission concept of the city and the police must also be questioned, it said in the MDR report. Among other things, Leipzig’s Lord Mayor Burkhart Jung (SPD) had sharply criticized a judge’s verdict on the demo.
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UPDATE, 12.20 p.m.: Saxony’s left are calling for Interior Minister Wöller to be dismissed
After the chaotic “lateral thinking” demonstration in Leipzig, the left-wing faction in the Saxon state parliament is also calling for the dismissal of State Interior Minister Roland Wöller (50, CDU).
The minister’s “ongoing failure to manage” made a massive health hazard possible, said parliamentary group leader Rico Gebhardt (57) on Monday.
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Rico Gebhardt (57) and the Saxon Left are demanding consequences for Interior Minister Wöller. © Image montage: Holm Helis, Sebastian Kahnert / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa
Wöller is primarily concerned with putting the blame on others. Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (45, CDU) must immediately dismiss the interior minister.
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CDU General Secretary Ziemiak rejects Esken criticism of the police operation in Leipzig Berlin
CDU General Secretary Paul Ziemiak has sharply rejected criticism by SPD leader Saskia Esken of the police operation in the “lateral thinking” demo of mask refusers as irrelevant.
“She has no idea about the police situation on site,” criticized Ziemiak on Monday after online consultations with the party headquarters in Berlin. There have been similar statements by Esken to the police on several occasions. “You should only express yourself if you know all the facts and not just stumble on the police just because you think you will get some retweets on Twitter.” He wanted Esken and the SPD to have as much approval as the Saxon police, added Ziemiak. “Then the SPD wouldn’t have to worry about the next federal election campaign at all.”
Esken had tweeted on Saturday: “All in all, the police forces were overwhelmed with the situation in # le0711 today.
Mass violations of rules such as the mask requirement were hardly punished. Representatives of the press found themselves defenseless against the attacks by right-wing extremists. “
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Update, 3 p.m.: Federal Government: Escalation in Leipzig is “fatal signal”
The federal government has sharply condemned the disregard of requirements and the violence at a demonstration against the corona rules in Leipzig. After the meeting was dissolved, “extremists, chaotic people, people willing to use violence” made their way through Leipzig, said government spokesman Steffen Seibert on Monday in Berlin. “In this extremely critical phase of the pandemic, in which we as a country are all sticking together, this is a fatal signal.”
Seibert appealed: “Even if it probably doesn’t get caught in everyone, one would actually like to call out to all participants in such a demonstration: Listen to the vast majority of science! This virus can be dangerous and even life-threatening for everyone, corona skeptic or not.”
Seibert also addressed reports of attacks on journalists and security forces. “Violent confrontations and the abuse of the right to demonstrate are not permitted.” There is no place for “extremist ideas or for conspiracy myths”. A spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior emphasized that the free press is a cornerstone of democracy. “Anyone who attacks journalists with the intention of deterring or intimidating them from their work is violating our constitution.”
The participants, who came together voluntarily in Leipzig, would take the entire society “jointly liable,” said the spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior. “Because if this increases the number of infections, it has an impact on medical capacity in Germany.”
The spokesman also said that extremists were increasingly more open and appearing at events by opponents of the corona measures. However, they did not succeed in fully exploiting the protests. Their composition is very diverse.
The local police decided not to use violence against a group that had been violent but was mostly peaceful.
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Chancellor Angela Merkel with government spokesman Steffen Seibert. © Kay Nietfeld / dpa-Pool / dpa
From the point of view of Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU), it was correct that the police did not proceed “with water cannons and tear gas against pensioners, children and families”.
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Update, 4.20 p.m.: Halles OB for rapid reform of the law of assembly
After the chaotic events surrounding the “lateral thinkers” demonstration in Leipzig, Halle’s mayor Bernd Wiegand (independent) urges that the right of assembly in Saxony-Anhalt be reformed quickly. Quick action is a mandatory requirement in a decision-making situation, he said on Monday. The background to this is the dispute between Wiegand and the police about the right way to deal with permanent demonstrations in Halle, which a nationally known right-wing extremist has reported to the police for years in advance. According to the “Halle gegen Rechts” alliance, anti-Semitic motifs were repeatedly shown at the rallies.
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Halle’s Lord Mayor Bernd Wiegand wants a reform of the law of assembly. © Ronny Hartmann / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa
Holocaust comparisons also appeared, such as a stylized Jewish star with the inscription “Unvaccinated”.
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Cover photo: Montage: Robert Michael / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa + Sebastian Kahnert / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa
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