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Several German leaders, including President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, denounced a “violation of democracy” on Sunday after an attempted assault on the National Parliament building during a demonstration against the crown, reported AFP, DPA and Reuters.
Footage from Saturday night, in which several hundred protesters can be seen forcing a police checkpoint up the steps of the famous Reichstag building in Berlin, created a shock wave in Germany, according to Agerpres. The incident was the culmination of an “anti-mask” rally that drew nearly 40,000 protesters against restrictions on the COVID-19 pandemic and resulted in nearly 300 arrests following clashes with police.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier denounced “an unbearable attack on the heart of our democracy”, “extreme right-wing excesses” and “Black Reich” flags in black, white and red, waved by protesters in memory of the Empire. it disappeared in 1919 after the First World War.
“We will never accept this,” Steinmeier added.
For her part, German Justice Minister Christina Lambrecht urged the Germans to “defend themselves against these enemies of our democracy”, while a debate began on whether to allow such demonstrations.
“The unbearable image of the neo-Nazis in front of the Reichstag … cannot be repeated,” he told the regional media group Funke, while his colleague, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, spoke of “an unacceptable slip”. the “symbolic center of German democracy”.
Law enforcement officials prevented protesters from entering the building on Saturday night, using aerosols to disperse the crowd and arresting several people.
The Reichstag, where German deputies meet in plenary, has great symbolic significance in Germany. The building and its famous dome were burned in 1933 by the Nazis, in an action that was perceived as intended to bring what was left of German democracy between the two world wars.
Editing: Alexandru Costea
