[ad_1]
After a decision by the OVG in the evening, it is clear: rallies in Berlin against the government’s crown policy can take place. The police are ready with a large number. The initiator emphasizes that everything must remain in peace.
The controversial demonstration and the rally against the crown policy, which are scheduled for today in Berlin, are allowed. The Higher Administrative Court (OVG) of Berlin-Brandenburg confirmed at second instance that the Berlin police ban did not last. The court does not want to comment on its decision in detail until the morning.
Police cited health risks as the reason
The assembly authority had prohibited several demonstrations scheduled for Wednesday. As the reason for this, he cited that the gathering of tens of thousands of people, often without a mask or distance, created too high a health risk for the population. This was already demonstrated by the demonstration against the Crown policy on August 1 in Berlin, during which most of the protesters consciously ignored hygiene rules.
On the other hand, the “lateral thinking” initiative, which had registered the mass demonstration, successfully sued: The administrative court lifted the ban yesterday afternoon and allowed the demonstrations, but only under strict conditions. By providing 900 files and a hundred de-escalation kits, the notifying party had taken “sufficient precautions”. No immediate danger to public safety can be inferred from either the course of the August 1 demonstration or the critical attitude of the participants to the crown’s policy, based on the administrative court’s arguments.
The police in turn filed a complaint with the OVG, the next instance. Your decision is now final.
Initiator: “Complete success”
The initiator of the demonstration, Michael Ballweg, had already described the decision of the Berlin Administrative Court as a “total success” in the first instance. He stressed that the demonstration must be peaceful.
The August 1 demonstration had also announced “lateral thinking.” In addition to the crown deniers and radical opponents of vaccination, there were also many participants with clearly right-wing flags or shirts in the crowd.
Police: “Openly formulated will to use violence”
Police are also preparing for violent protesters. Calls were made on social media at the European level to meet in Berlin even in the event of a ban, said police vice president Marco Langner. There was also an open call to arm yourself. “This openly formulated willingness to use violence against the state represents a new dimension for us,” Langner said. 3,000 police officers will be ready in the capital, 1,000 of them from other federal states and from the federal police.
It is unclear how many participants will attend the meetings. The starter registered 22,500 for the biggest rally. Yesterday there was a smaller rally. According to an estimate by the police at night, 1,500 people participated. The event was peaceful, a police spokesman said. But there were several calls to keep the distance.
Federal Minister of Finance and Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on the participants in the demonstrations to keep peace and comply with hygiene regulations. “Anyone who demonstrates peacefully on the weekend must do so and respect the known rules of hygiene and distance,” the SPD police officer of the “Rheinische Post” said. The right to demonstrate is “a valuable asset in our democracy, and so is the protection of the health of citizens.”
