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reThe federal government has strongly condemned non-compliance and violence at a demonstration against crown rules in Leipzig. After the dissolution of the meeting, “extremists, chaos, violent people” made their way through Leipzig, government spokesman Steffen Seibert said in Berlin. “In this extremely critical phase of the pandemic, in which as a country we are all united, this is a fatal sign.”
Seibert appealed: “Even if you probably won’t get caught at all, one would really like to call out all the participants in such a demonstration: Listen to the vast majority of science! This virus can be dangerous and life-threatening for everyone, whether they are skeptical of the crown or not. “
Seibert also raised reports of attacks on journalists and security forces. “Violent confrontations and abuse of the right to demonstrate are not allowed.” There is no room for “extremist ideas or conspiracy myths.” A spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior stressed that the free press is a cornerstone of democracy. “Anyone who attacks journalists with the intention of dissuading or intimidating them from their work is violating our constitution.”
The Bautzen High Administrative Court had allowed the demonstration in central Leipzig, which was directed against measures to combat the crown pandemic, on short notice. There were numerous violations of the crown’s requirements during the rally with around 20,000 participants. There were also violent clashes after the police prematurely broke up the demonstration due to violation of crown rules.
The Interior Ministry defends the police repression in Leipzig
The Interior Ministry spokesman also said that extremists were becoming increasingly outspoken, appearing at events of opponents of the crown’s measures. However, they failed to take full advantage of the protests. Its composition is very diverse. The local police decided not to use violence against a group that had been violent but mostly peaceful.
From the point of view of the federal interior minister, Horst Seehofer (CSU), he was correct that the police did not “use water cannons and tear gas against retirees, children and families.”
Seehofer had previously defended the police against criticism. “We have to stop questioning police tactics in retrospect without knowing the details and without a complete picture through remote diagnosis,” Seehofer emphasized in a statement distributed by his ministry on Sunday night. The police have their “full backing.”
Esken talks about a “filing for bankruptcy”
Criticism of the police operation in Leipzig came mainly from the SPD. Saskia Esken, leader of the SPD, harshly criticized the concept of police. Saxon Interior Minister Roland Wöller (CDU) and Seehofer let the policemen meet this situation with their eyes and completely inadequately equipped, he said on Monday in Südwestrundfunk. “It seems irresponsible to me.”
Esken called for the events in Leipzig to be dealt with at the federal level. If something is to be changed about the fact that demonstrations on this scale and in these circumstances are possible, this must be addressed legislatively.
Such events are repeatedly downplayed, Esken criticized in anticipation of the demonstration. These are concerned citizens who are dissatisfied with measures to deal with the corona pandemic, but right-wing hooligans from all over Europe have also reached Leipzig. “The police can strategically prevent something like this if necessary,” Esken emphasized. The ways to get there are known and could be cut. “To see such a development idle is an internal political declaration of bankruptcy.”
Ziemiak knows Esken’s criticism
CDU General Secretary Paul Ziemiak dismissed Saskia Esken’s criticism as irrelevant. “He has no idea about the police situation there,” Ziemiak criticized after online consultations with the party presidium in Berlin. There have been similar statements from Esken to the police on several occasions. “You should only express yourself when you know all the facts and not just run into the police just because you think you will get some retweets on Twitter.”
He wanted Esken and the SPD to have as much approval as the Saxon police, Ziemiak added. “Then the SPD would not have to worry at all about the next federal election campaign.” Esken tweeted on Saturday: “Overall, the police forces were completely overwhelmed by the situation in # le0711 today. Massive rule violations, such as the mask requirement, were hardly punished. themselves at the mercy of attacks from the extreme right. “
Ziemiak said that everyone in Germany has the right to take to the streets seeking their opinion. But it is irresponsible and in solidarity with the rest of the population to renounce distances and masks. He condemned the excesses of right-wing extremists in the context in the strongest possible terms. Not all protesters can be assigned to this camp across the board. But every protester has to deal with who he is facing on the street and who he is offering that scenario.
The mayor of Leipzig is “pissed off” and “outraged”
Thuringian Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD), current chairman of the Conference of Interior Ministers (IMK) of the federal states, said on ARD on Sunday evening that “it was not necessary” for the demonstration in the center of the city was legally permitted. Of course, it is equally reprehensible that someone “is organizing a big demonstration right now.”
In the case of the concept of police, the question must be asked: “Was it enough?” Maier added. With the large number of participants in the demonstration, “of course, it is always difficult.” “To break up a meeting like this, I need a lot of police.”
Maier demanded that all those responsible be prepared “to intervene much more consistently, much harder and earlier in these types of meetings, because the situation is now, the pandemic is here and we have to be consistent.”
Leipzig Mayor Burkhard Jung (SPD) also criticized the state, federal government and the judiciary. “I am pissed off that the communal level has been left alone,” he told Leipziger Volkszeitung. He was also “outraged by the decision of the Higher Administrative Court” to allow the demonstration in the city center. This was “far from feasible”. The city had transferred them to the New Fair on Friday.
The state “actually almost gave up” on Saturday and police were overwhelmed, Jung said. “In retrospect it must be said: the event should not have started because it was immediately clear that the rules were not being followed at all,” he also criticized himself with a view to the late postponement.
Jung criticized that the federal government has not yet managed to clarify the relationship between the right to life and the right to assembly. As president of the German Association of Cities, he will continue to push for legal clarity at meetings on the pandemic, he stressed.
