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Left and right groups, trade unions and opponents of the Corona measures – demonstrations are taking place everywhere in Germany on Labor Day. In Berlin, observers spoke of one of the largest revolutionary May Day demos in recent years.
Berlin (dpa) – Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Germany on May 1st. The demonstrations were traditionally organized on Labor Day by the trade unions and left-wing initiatives, but right-wing groups and critics of the Corona measures also met for both permitted and unauthorized protests.
Several thousand people took to the streets in Berlin that evening. The protest march by left and radical left groups started at Hermannplatz in Neukölln. According to an initial estimate, the police assumed around 5,000 participants so far. Observers, however, spoke of one of the largest revolutionary May Day demonstrations in recent years. In 2017, around 10,000 people attended the traditional protest.
The police repeatedly called on loudspeakers to adhere to the Corona rules. The start was delayed because minimum distances were not observed and some did not wear masks. According to the police, they were allowed to run in order to even out the crowd. “We will keep an eye on compliance with the minimum distances and the wearing of mouth and nose protection,” tweeted the police. According to this, some participants were also heavily drunk.
During the day there were numerous rallies in the capital. Among other things, around 10,000 cycling critics of capitalism protested in the villa district of Grunewald. At the other end of the city – in Lichtenberg – around 200 opponents of the pandemic measures gathered. In the area around the Ostbahnhof people came together “to revitalize the culture and club scene”. According to the police, 5,600 police officers were on duty in the capital.
In Hamburg, the police broke up a meeting in front of the Rote Flora with water cannons. Hundreds of people had gathered in the afternoon in the piazza in front of the left-wing autonomous center, ignoring the minimum distance. After repeated requests to leave the square, two water cannons sprayed the street clear. In the evening, the police stopped an unauthorized demonstration by left-wing radicals and arrested around 150 demonstrators at Lohmühlenpark in St. Georg.
According to the police, a demonstration with around 80 left-wing extremists between Schanzenpark and Schlump underground station was stopped at noon. There were occasional fights when officials pushed the demonstrators from the anarchist scene off the street. A group of more than 40 mostly black-clad demonstrators were surrounded by the police a little later near the exhibition halls. They were taken into custody, said a police spokesman.
At a May demonstration by left groups in Frankfurt, the police used batons on Saturday evening. A police spokesman reported that fireworks and smoke pots were thrown from the demonstration. Officials were also attacked. The first arrests have therefore been made. The police did not initially use the clearly perceptible water cannons. The police spoke of at least 3,000 people who had first gathered on Opernplatz for a “day of rage” and then marched through the station district.
In Leipzig, the police reported firecrackers thrown at their emergency services. Accordingly, around 200 participants at a previous rally had moved in the direction of the Connewitz district. Mobile elevators are currently not allowed, however, said a police spokesman. Therefore, the police have gathered forces there. Pyrotechnics and objects were thrown at the police officers from a group of 20 to 30 people. Several suspects were then arrested.
In Thuringian cities, white roses were laid down in courts as a reaction to the controversial mask judgment of a Weimar magistrate, in some cases the family judge was referred to as “defender of the rule of law”. At the beginning of April he had suspended the mask requirement at two schools in Weimar. As a result, several complaints were filed against him. The public prosecutor’s office is now investigating whether the lawyer has exceeded his jurisdiction.
According to the police, around 240 vehicles took part in a car parade in Erfurt, which the Thuringian AfD called for on Labor Day. According to the police, around 170 people took part in an NPD lift in Greifswald, and the party also protested in Essen. The right-wing extremist party III demonstrated in Plauen, Saxony. Away, but the organizers had to be content with 25 participants.
The biggest demo of the day on motorcycles took place in Bavaria. Around 7,500 motorcyclists demonstrated in Nuremberg against possible weekend driving bans. A year ago, the Federal Council recommended this to the federal government for special cases of conflict – i.e. in communities in which citizens suffer greatly from motorcycle noise.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210501-99-430617 / 6
Participants in the demonstration “Solidarity Lockdown Now” in downtown Hanover.
© Ole Spata
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In Leipzig, police officers encircled participants in a left-wing demonstration.
© Jan Woitas
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