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Saturday 21 November 2020
When thousands of “lateral thinkers” were roaming Leipzig illegally two weeks ago, the police had little to counter them. Today only 250 participants want to protest against the crown measures in the city. This time the police announce tougher action.
Two weeks after the sometimes chaotic manifestation of “lateral thinking”, Leipzig faces numerous rallies again this Saturday. According to the city, opponents of the crown’s policy have registered a meeting with 250 participants. Against this there is a strong protest: the action network “Leipzig takes place” is only calling three rallies in the central squares of the city. According to their own statements, the police will be in action with a large number.
Opponents of Corona’s requirements and counter-protesters are also mobilizing in many other German cities for Saturday. In the case of Leipzig, according to the assessment of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the mobilization is taking place in both extreme right and left camps. Two weeks ago, a major show of “lateral thinking” got out of hand at times. At least 20,000 people from all over Germany came to Leipzig to protest against the crown’s restrictions. Hardly anyone adhered to the mask requirement. There were skirmishes and fireworks as the crowd tried to force a walk through the Leipziger Ring. In the end, the police allowed people to dump them, although elevators are currently not allowed due to the corona pandemic. Critics accused the Saxon police of surrendering to the protesters, some of whom were right-wing extremists, and some spoke of “failure of the state”.
The city and police have now announced that they will consistently punish any violation of Corona’s rules. A total of eight meetings were announced on Saturday. Currently, only a maximum of 1000 participants is allowed per rally. The police focused mainly on separating the “peaceful participants from those who are not” in the various meetings. It receives support from the emergency services in Baden-Württemberg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Bremen, Brandenburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Saxony-Anhalt, as well as the federal police. Water cannons and an equestrian squad are also ready to go.
In Bochum, the initiative “lateral thinking 234 Bochum” has registered 1000 participants. Among other things, a speech by the founder of “lateral thinking”, Michael Ballweg, has been announced. The demo can only take place as a booth rally. The city had banned an originally planned elevator, the Higher Administrative Court of North Rhine-Westphalia confirmed the decision. 2,000 participants registered in Göppingen, and organizers expect several hundred each at the demonstrations in Pforzheim, Hannover and Berlin. The city had banned a demonstration in Munich due to expected violations of the rules.
