Constanza: Police separate “side thinkers” from counter-protesters with tear gas

Status: 07:43 am | Reading time: 3 minutes

WITHIt should be in the tens of thousands, but far fewer than expected flocked to Konstanz for the Corona demonstrations at the weekend. The “lateral thinking” initiative, which called for protests against the German government’s crown policy, managed to mobilize a few thousand people for a human chain and a rally. Almost 30,000 participants registered for the two campaigns on Saturday and Sunday in Konstanz alone.

For the so-called chain of people for peace around Lake Constance, the organizers had expected even 250,000 people. The goal of the organizers was to create a continuous chain through Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. According to the police, this was unsuccessful with around 11,000 participants. The organizers assume about 60,000 to 70,000 people.

Defenders of Corona’s policy had called several counter-demonstrations for the weekend and continued to get in the way of “side thinkers” over the weekend. One of his posters read: “Against the deniers of the crown and the agitation of the right.”

“We are many, and each time we are more”

Police had to use tear gas in a case on Sunday to keep the groups away from each other. According to officials, there were no serious clashes and no arrests. Therefore, the protests remained largely peaceful.

However, the main organizer of the anti-crown political demonstrations, Gerry Mayr, was satisfied on Sunday. “We are many, and there are more and more,” he said at the rally that took place at a small festival near the Swiss border. The Konstanz businessman considers the quarantine to be a modern prison. He did not want to see any more “masked people” and described the government’s crown measures as unacceptable.

He was right about several speakers who were invited to the demonstration, including clergymen, naturopaths, and businessmen. His speeches also included the usual conspiracy myths: the pandemic was made up, controlled by forces of evil and should help enslave people. There was applause from much of the audience, who waved peace flags and issued posters calling for a rethink of Corona’s policy.

Ballweg: There are always some more extreme opinions

According to police estimates, around 1,000 people had gathered for the rally, which opened with a service. Between 3,500 and 4,500 were expected. “We defend freedom of expression, and everyone can think what they want,” said the initiator of Stuttgart’s “lateral thinking” Michael Ballweg on the sidelines of the demonstration. There are always more extreme opinions.

Almost none of the participants used mouth and nose protection, the majority maintained the minimum distance required by the city of Constanza. There were still disputes over the mask requirement. Some stewards refused to use the mouth and nose guards and they had to be replaced. The mask requirement for stewards was one of the city’s requirements. The police did not want to recognize certificates for an exemption from this.

The city’s other requirements also included a ban on “Reich flags, imperial flags and symbols that clearly relate to the time or crimes of National Socialism and establish a connection to the current crown pandemic.” The participants adhered to it. In late August, flags of the German Empire were flown at a Corona rally in the Reichstag in Berlin. The protesters had broken barriers.

Among the protesters on the shores of Lake Constance was FDP politician Karoline Preisler, who was already a Corona patient and who had come from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania especially for educational reasons. “I think it is correct and important that the measures of the crown are questioned,” he said. “But I would like us to take advantage of the democratic opportunities for this, and I am happy to provide information.”