Assault on the Reichstag – red cloth in front of the chamber of the heart of democracy

The three law enforcement officers were visibly overwhelmed by the attack: they radioed for reinforcements, waved their batons, and tried to convince the screaming protesters to turn around. One of the three policemen did not even have a helmet, but fearlessly showed his fists and took action against the horde of harassment.

The scene only lasted a moment, then dozens of police officers rushed to help their comrades. They pushed the 200 protesters and sealed off the entrance area. At the foot of the Reichstag, however, self-proclaimed subversives chanted their slogans for minutes and waved flags, including the infamous black, white and red imperial flags.

A brief inattention from the police gave right-wing extremists and Reich citizens an unexpected moment of triumph just before the Reichstag, which those involved visibly savored. Although they did not enter the building, they were able to pretend with impunity that the Reichstag would now belong to them under the historical signature “Dem deutscher Volke”. In social networks, the images of his “Storm in Berlin” were already reproduced one hundred thousand times on Saturday night.

The symbol of German democracy

The Reichstag building in Berlin was built between 1884 and 1894 as the parliament of the German Empire, which had existed since 1871, in the Neo-Renaissance style. After the overthrow of the monarchy in 1918, it remained the seat of parliament even in the fragile Weimar Republic. The Reichstag became a symbol after the 1933 fire, which Adolf Hitler’s National Socialists used as a pretext to undermine democracy and establish an all-out dictatorship.

While Berlin was divided after 1945, the Reichstag, which was in the British sector, remained unused. The Bundestag met in Bonn. After the reunification of Germany in 1990, the Reichstag building was completely renovated and received a modern glass dome designed by architect Norman Foster. Since 1999 it has once again been the plenary hall of the German parliament.

The colors of the opponents of democracy

But when the black, white, and red flags fly over there, the Democrats see red: these have been the colors of the German Empire since the 1860s, especially the German Empire from 1871 to 1918. The Weimar Republic, on the other hand , used the oldest republican black and white. Red Gold; the imperial flag, on the other hand, became the identifying mark of the monarchists and opponents of democracy.

The Nazis also opted for black, white, and red, complemented by the swastika. Today, the Reichs flag is used primarily as a sign of recognition for Reich citizens, who consider the Federal Republic to be an illegitimate state, and for right-wing extremists, who are legally prohibited from carrying the flag of the Reichs. Reichskriegs and obvious Nazi symbols like the swastika.

Consternation in politics

Politicians from all parties were dismayed by the far-right symbols in front of the Reichstag on Sunday. “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. “We will never accept it.”

“Our democracy lives,” Steinmeier emphasized. Anyone angry about Corona’s measures can do it, even in demonstrations. “My understanding ends where the protesters get hooked on the cars of the enemies of democracy and political agitators.” Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) described the abuse of the “symbolic center of our liberal democracy” as “unbearable.”