Berlin demo crown: federal government speaks of “shameful images”

reThe federal government views the Corona demonstrations in Berlin at the weekend as an example of abuse of the right to assembly. Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Monday morning in Berlin.

Seibert emphasized that the right to peaceful demonstrations was a valuable asset even during the pandemic. However, this right was abused on Saturday in Berlin. “The result was embarrassing images,” the government spokesman said, referring to the far-right protesters who broke through the barricades in front of the Reichstag and climbed the stairs of the building.

It is important to discuss pandemic measures in the current situation. Instead, there is democratic debate in parliaments, a critical press and public, and also demonstrations, in which the participants, however, have to stick to the conditions.

Thanks from the federal government goes to the three police officers, who had protected the Reichstag building as “resourceful and courageous,” as well as to all the other officers on duty. In addition, Seibert thanked the “overwhelming majority” of the population on behalf of the government, which behaved “with good sense, prudence and consideration.”

The three policemen who can be seen on the upper landing between the protesters and the visitor entrance to the Bundestag belong, according to the police, to a so-called alarm hundreds from a police section of Directorate 5, which is responsible for the city center, ie the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district and parts of Neukölln. and a half.

The hundreds of alarms consist of police officers working regularly in normal police precincts or stations and only grouped into larger units in certain cases and for a short period of time.

The Police Union (GdP) announced that seven policemen had opposed the heated but non-violent crowd in the entrance area. The videos mainly show three police officers up close.

The situation worsened in front of the Reichstag building

According to Berlin Interior Senator Andreas Geisel (SPD), up to 38,000 people were on the streets of Berlin on Saturday in protest against Corona’s measures; The minimum distance was not respected, especially during the demolished demonstration on Saturday afternoon. Additionally, the attempt to enforce a mask requirement as a requirement failed; the bans on demonstrations and rallies imposed by the Berlin assembly authorities had previously been lifted by the court.

The horror across the country was mainly caused by an incident on Saturday night: the situation in front of the Reichstag building escalated when hundreds of right-wing extremists stormed the steps of the Bundestag headquarters. “The Reich flags and the far-right mob in front of the German Bundestag are an unbearable attack on the heart of our democracy,” said Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Government spokesman Seibert said everyone had to think carefully about who they would march with in demonstrations against the crown’s measures and who they would like to be seen on the street with.

Following the occupation of the Reichstag stairs, the police are investigating alleged violations of the peace. A spokesman said Monday. Possibly other crimes could be added. Research should show that. It is not yet known whether the protesters tried to break into the Reichstag or damage the building.

Investigations are also underway against the woman who called for a storm in the building on the scene of a Reich citizen demonstration directly in front of the Reichstag. The police know the identity of the woman. According to a report from the “Tagesspiegel”, she is said to be a well-known representative of the Reich citizen scene hailing from the Eifel, working as an esoteric alternative practitioner and has often appeared in public at demonstrations.

Reich Flags in Parliament by Steinmeier “Unbearable”

Steinmeier repeated his clear criticism in a press release Monday lunchtime after a meeting with police officers stationed at the Reichstag building on Saturday: “The Reich flags, including the Reich war flags below, on the steps of the freely elected German parliament, the heart of our democracy is not only despicable, but in the face of the history of this place almost unbearable. “

Anti-democratic turmoil and the degradation of the Federal Republic of Germany will not be tolerated in the Bundestag, Steinmeier said at his official residence at Bellevue Palace.

The federal president emphasized that anyone who is angry about the crown’s measures or doubts its need should speak out against it. However, his understanding ends where people let themselves be “hooked on the bandwagon by enemies of democracy.” “Those who seek to close ranks with right-wing extremists on the streets, but also those who simply run nonchalantly alongside neo-Nazis, xenophobes and anti-Semites, who do not clearly and actively delimit themselves, make common ground with them,” Steinmeier said.

He also thanked the thousands of police officers who had defended law and order at high personal risk. They showed that our constitutional state works, Steinmeier said. The defense of free democracy is not the sole responsibility of the police, he said. “It is the task and duty of civil society as a whole and of each individual. In an active, decisive and courageous way, we must face together the enemies of our democracy. “