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"Think outside the box" demonstration last Saturday in Dresden: "Freedom in danger"?
Photo:
Sebastian Willnow / dpa
The anger is diffuse, but it is great.
This was evident on Wednesday in front of the house of Thuringia's Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow: There, the left-wing politician said the next day on the sidelines of a trade fair in Erfurt, strangers had turned off a grave light and placed a note next to it: a call for a large demonstration in Leipzig.
"Yes," said Ramelow, "I feel threatened."
The police are now investigating a suspected threat.
Ramelow has become a figure of hatred in certain circles because he imposed drastic protective measures in the corona crisis in his state - protective measures that part of the population feels bullied about.
The anger about this should break out in Leipzig on Saturday when an alliance of corona deniers, mask refusers, conspiracy believers and other angry citizens take to the streets.
The authorities are expecting around 16,000 participants, originally even more than 20,000, and a total of 27 meetings were registered by Friday morning alone.
The demonstrators want to come from all over Germany, the police are preparing for a confusing situation - and for clashes.
Subversion fantasies and historical bonds
Behind the central rally are the "lateral thinking" alliances from Leipzig and Stuttgart, they are demanding, among other things, the withdrawal of the tightened pandemic protective measures and the resignation of the federal government.
Wherever the movement occurs, the mood is characterized by a mixture of legitimate concerns about the shutdown, diffuse hatred of "those up there" and extremist fantasies of subversion.
"The whole of Germany is invited," said a solemn press release from the organizers, "history repeats itself."
A YouTube video shows which story is meant: Underlying pathetic music, historical recordings from November 6, 1989 appear between video recordings of "lateral thinking" demos: At that time, hundreds of thousands of opponents of the SED regime demonstrated in Leipzig for freedom of travel and freedom of the press.
"In the same place only 31 years later, we want to do exactly that again", it says in the "lateral thinking" demonstration call.
"Please bring candles."
With a similar narrative, the AfD celebrated great successes in the state elections in East Germany last year: "Complete the turnaround," it said on posters in Brandenburg, Thuringia and Saxony - as if the far right party were the only opposition force against an alleged system of injustice.
"The GDR was a dictatorship and not a pandemic"
Leipzig's SPD leader Holger Mann
Many people are outraged that the "lateral thinking" organizers are following the tradition of the peaceful revolution.
"We vehemently contradict the equation of the GDR dictatorship with today's liberal constitutional state," said the Leipzig SPD leader Holger Mann.
"The GDR was a dictatorship and not a pandemic."
The authorities are also concerned about infection protection.
Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer warns of a "corona spread event": "20,000 people cannot behave in one place in such a way that they do not pose a risk of infection," said the CDU politician of the Chemnitz "Free Press".
The city of Leipzig sees it similarly: so that so many people can demonstrate with a minimum distance of 1.50 meters from one another, a huge area would be required, says Heiko Rosenthal, municipal councilor for order.
Therefore, the decision was made to move the rally to a parking lot behind the exhibition halls - to the very north of the city.
Demonstration trains are therefore prohibited in the whole city because of infection protection, and the obligation to wear a mask and keep your distance applies.
The "lateral thinking" organizers do not want to accept that their mass rally should not take place in the same place as the 1989 demos: They have filed complaints against the city's requirements, the case is with the administrative court.
Hotel chain does not accept guests on weekends
The question of whether hygiene measures can even be observed in view of so many demonstrators, however, concerns other aspects: Traveling in privately chartered buses is just as inadmissible for demo participants as staying in hotels, says Rosenthal.
It is an "improper infiltration of the Corona Protection Ordinance" to book a room anyway.
One will examine, so Rosenthal, to impose fines in such cases.
This may not even be necessary: The Motel One hotel chain, for example, which has apparently been an insider tip among demo participants arriving, has now decided not to accept any guests this weekend.
That should not change the rush, however.
Various right-wing organizations take part in the demonstration, according to the "Leipziger Volkszeitung", the Saxon constitutional protection agency registered massive mobilization among right-wing extremists.
According to the city administration, a meeting of the Islamophobic "citizens' movement Pax Europa", which is to take place in the market, has been announced.
In addition, left-wing groups are also mobilizing, according to the city, seven counter-demonstrations have been registered: "We call for resolute protest and also, wherever it is possible, to spoil their travel to and stay in our city," said a message from "Action network Leipzig takes place".
On Saturday it was about conspiracy believers, right-wingers and supporters of the "Reichsbürger" scene.
Meanwhile, "lateral thinking" founder Michael Ballweg asserts that his initiative was driven solely by concern about the democratic processes: "There is no room in the movement for right-wing, left-wing extremist, anti-Semitic, fascist or inhumane ideas," he told the dpa news agency.
"We cannot prevent a few people with extremist thoughts from being at our rallies," said Ballweg.
If in doubt, it would be up to the police to intervene.
According to its own information, it is preparing for a "very intensive mission".
Not only the Saxon riot police, officers of the LKA and the federal police will be on duty: eight federal states are sending support to Saxony.
You know that left and right-wing extremists want to be in Leipzig on Saturday, says Police President Torsten Schultze, and you know about "calls to violence".
The Prime Minister apparently also expects violent clashes: "Freedom of expression takes place within the legal framework," he told the "Free Press".
Those who do not stick to the rules will feel that this will not be tolerated: "We do not live in anarchy."
How anarchic Saturday will be in Leipzig remains to be seen.
Icon: The mirror
Collaboration: Edgar Lopez;
with material from the dpa
