Berlin / Leipzig – Thousands of people took to the streets in German cities over the weekend to protest against the corona policy of the federal and state governments.
However, in some cases they were also met by hundreds of counter-demonstrators who, for example, accompanied a much-announced “silent march” through Berlin with blockades and other disruptive actions. Two weeks after the chaotic “lateral thinking” demo, Leipzig also became the scene again for protests by opponents of the Corona policy and counter-demonstrations.
The Berlin police put the number of participants in the so-called silent march from Prenzlauer Berg to the centrally located Alexanderplatz at around 1000. Five times as many were registered. According to the police, most of the demonstrators were wearing mouth and nose protection, and there have been individual criminal charges for allegedly falsified medical certificates for exemption from the mask requirement. The march into the city center was accompanied by protests by hundreds of counter-demonstrators, some from the left.
While the participants of the “silent march” demanded, among other things, a waiver of vaccinations, residents in Prenzlauer Berg made noise with pots and took a stand with poster inscriptions such as “No space for corona deniers” and “Keep your distance against the law”. Every now and then there were “Nazis out” calls. Around 600 police officers were on duty and there were occasional provisional arrests.
The state corona restrictions have been polarizing the country for months, opponents and supporters of drastic protective measures are sometimes irreconcilable. The deliberations of the state governments on how to proceed in the pandemic could result in an extension of the partial lockdown imposed at the beginning of November. This Wednesday, the country leaders will discuss the further course with Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU).
Against the background of the “lateral thinker” demo that got completely out of hand two weeks ago in Leipzig, the police were on duty there on Saturday with 1,600 officers from six federal states and federal police officers. Hundreds of people came to a rally by opponents of the Corona policy on Kurt-Masur-Platz, which was canceled at short notice by the organizer. As a result, opposing camps repeatedly met in the city center and had to be kept away from each other by the police. The situation was at times confusing – there were several unsanctioned spontaneous demonstrations.
“Approved meetings were peaceful and calm. But then a dynamic situation developed in several places in the city center,” said police spokesman Olaf Hoppe. That was a difficult situation for the police. Leipzig’s Lord Mayor Burkhard Jung (SPD) spoke of a “cat and mouse game”. The situation was very different from the Leipzig “lateral thinking” demonstration two weeks ago.
According to the police, more than 600 dismissals have been issued and several crimes have been recorded, including physical harm, breach of the peace, threats and resistance to police action. The German Association of Journalists (DJV) Sachsen also reported two physical attacks on journalists, and one reporter was insulted and persecuted.
Mostly peaceful demonstrations took place at the weekend in many other cities, such as Frankfurt, Hanover, Stuttgart, Pforzheim, Bochum, Dresden and Cottbus. In part, these were organized by supporters of the controversial “lateral thinking” initiative, which has been organizing protests against the current policy to contain the pandemic for weeks.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 201122-99-419421 / 11
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