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Federal Interior Minister Seehofer has rebuffed hasty criticism of the police following the riots by crown deniers in Leipzig. Remote diagnosis of events is inappropriate. Before that, a debate over police tactics had broken out.
Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer warned against rash criticism of the police after rule violations at the Leipzig Crown rally and also called the courts to duty. “We have to stop questioning police tactics in hindsight without knowing the details and without a complete picture through remote diagnosis.” The assembly authorities, the police and the courts must “make responsible decisions in light of the current infection situation,” he said.
“The right of assembly must be guaranteed, especially in times of crisis.” But the rules of the assembly authorities must be followed and enforced, Seehofer said. He added: “The police have my full backing.”
Police demand a harder pace
At the “lateral thinking” demonstration in Leipzig with tens of thousands of participants on Saturday, according to the police, there were massive violations of hygiene requirements. The meeting was officially interrupted after two and a half hours. The protesters then marched through the ring in the center of the city, although they had been prohibited from doing so, and without being prevented by the police. The city administration wanted to move the rally to the outskirts, but failed in the Higher Administrative Court.
The president of the conference of interior ministers, Georg Maier, spoke at Berlin report for a harder beat if the requirements are not met in the Corona demos. “We have to prepare for the future to intervene much more consistently, much tougher and earlier in such meetings,” Maier said. Regarding the concept of deployment of the Saxon police, he explained: “You will have to ask yourself, was that enough? Given the large number, of course it is always difficult to break up such a meeting, so I need a lot of police. It will certainly be targeted. tracing “.
“The freedom to demonstrate is not the freedom to use violence”
Federal Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht also asked for a “complete clarification.” “What we saw yesterday in Leipzig cannot be justified by anything. The freedom to demonstrate is not the freedom to use violence and put others at massive risk,” said the SPD politician. This situation in the midst of the pandemic should not be repeated. Thousands of people together without masks are a peak of irresponsibility and selfishness. “Every day people die from the coronavirus. Those who deny this danger oppose the vast majority of our society, which adheres to the rules to protect themselves and others.”
Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas made a similar statement. He condemned the behavior of the protesters. “The Basic Law guarantees the right to demonstrate,” wrote the SPD politician on Twitter. “But anyone who, as in Leipzig, endangers other human beings, attacks policemen and journalists, spreads far-right agitation or sets fire to barricades during counter-demonstrations, leaves the realm of this fundamental right.”
Habeck: protect the freedom of others
The FDP and the Greens in the Bundestag also called for the police operation to be prosecuted. The internal politics spokesman of the FDP parliamentary group, Konstantin Kuhle, criticized: “It cannot be that the rule of law is seeing journalists at work being attacked and most of the protesters clearly ignoring the conditions.” Freedom of assembly is an important basic right, but it is also subject to rules. “The police must be able to consistently end a gathering with sufficient forces at the scene if it gets out of control and the rules are not observed.”
Green Party leader Robert Habeck demanded that the events in Leipzig “urgently require critical clarification.” Freedom of assembly is a valuable asset, but the freedom of others and the functioning of the health system must also be protected. That is a difficult task for state authorities in the pandemic. “Obviously, the Ministry of the Interior and the Saxon police were not prepared for this task at the weekend and were therefore overwhelmed,” Habeck said.
Steinmeier: practical test for society
During a speech at the opening of the Synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier addressed critics of the Corona measures and expressed concern about the increasing severity of the disputes. “I am concerned that the conversation between opponents and supporters has become more difficult,” Steinmeier said. This crisis is “a test for our society, for our democracy.” “Will we get to stay together or will the divisions deepen?” Asked the federal president.
