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northAfter three nights of riots and chaos, Leipzig looks calm again on Sunday in the sun. But the traces of the mutiny by leftist extremists are unmistakable. The window of a new building in the Connewitz district was smashed, and thick black paint stains and marks on the security windows of the police station bear witness to the attacks.
On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, aggressive hooded men used the darkness to attack the police. The trigger for the riots in eastern Leipzig and Connewitz were squats that had been ended by the police.
Leipzig Police Chief Torsten Schultze calls the rioters “apparent left-wing extremists.” Only the good protective equipment of the officers ensured that there were only minor injuries during operations. A total of eleven officers were injured.
“The attacks on the police, the attacks on the police from the dark, make me think only of homicides: insidious and with means that accept the death of the people who are beaten,” said the police chief. .
Lord Mayor condemns violence “strongly”
Leipzig Mayor Burkhard Jung condemned the outbreaks of violence “in the strongest terms.” The affordable housing debate had suffered a serious setback with occupations and violent clashes, the SPD politician said on Saturday. “You don’t create a living space by attacking police officers and setting fire to barricades.”
In fact, in Leipzig, as in other large cities, the debate about displacement and rising rents is increasingly bitter. The city has grown rapidly, in ten years it gained 100,000 inhabitants and was considered “Hypezig” and “The best Berlin”. Around 600,000 people now live in Leipzig.
Protests Despite Low Rents
Compared to Munich or Berlin, rents in the East German city are low. The Association of the Housing Industry and Real Estate Sector set the average rent without heating for its member companies in Saxony in 2019 at 5.19 euros per square meter. But these are existing rentals. New buildings are no longer offered cold for less than 10 euros in Leipzig. According to the property portal Immowelt, which, like WELT, belongs to Axel Springer SE, the rents requested have increased by 42 percent in a comparison of ten years.
About two weeks ago, the “Occupy Leipzig” initiative occupied an old empty house in East Leipzig. The owner filed a complaint, there were no discussions.
The motto of Saturday’s demonstration was “Combining struggles – For a supportive neighborhood community”
Source: dpa / Hendrik Schmidt
The police finally arrived last Wednesday. “The illegal occupation of Ludwigstrasse 71 is a crime,” said Police Chairman Schultze. Also, there was a short cast in the Connewitz district on Friday. What followed were nighttime riots.
Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer said the rioters would not pursue political goals like affordable housing. “These people are not interested in this topic. They want to act against our legal system, “said the CDU politician on Sunday. You have to call the matter by its name: “It is the left extremists who attack things and the police with malicious violence.”
Kretschmer criticizes the Left Party
In an interview with MDR Saxony, Kretschmer also criticized the left. “It is above all the politicians of the Left Party who try again and again to find the reasons for such excesses of violence. Does not exist. There are also affordable housing in Leipzig. It may not be in Connewitz or the city center, but there is cheap living space. “
Saxon Interior Minister Roland Wöller (CDU) consequently announced that he would advocate for stricter punishments for violence against police officers.
Police officers in protective gear with protective shields stand on the sidelines of the demonstration on Saturday night
Source: dpa / Hendrik Schmidt
The latest events showed that it was only brute force against people and things, the CDU politician said on Saturday. In the event of assault on law enforcement officers, the minimum penalty is currently three months. Wöller came out in favor of increasing it to six months.
On Thursday the east of Leipzig was the scene of the riots, on Friday and Saturday the demonstrations in Connewitz intensified. The district is considered a “leftist alternative” and there are repeated clashes between suspected extremists and the police. Police have not yet been able to say whether the same people were involved in the riots during the three days.
Fear of the next riots
There were no arrests on Friday and on Saturday 15 suspects were investigated for disorderly conduct, property damage and resistance to law enforcement officials. Nine of the suspects were temporarily detained, but all were released.
Police are now examining the consequences of more demonstrations and meetings in the city. The event will be evaluated, police spokeswoman Maria Braunsdorf said Sunday. She could get restless again in Leipzig next weekend. At that time, the EU-China summit should be held in the city. It was canceled due to Corona. Left-wing radicals still call for “critical days of action.” It will mobilize for a demonstration in eastern Leipzig on Saturday. Motto: “Storm the fortress – Break all borders!”
