In Göttingen (Lower Saxony), the police dissolve a demo because of an alleged violation of the Corona contact ban. The activists want to complain.
- A demonstration of the situation of refugees in Greece took place in Göttingen (Lower Saxony) over the weekend.
- The action was canceled by the police because of the Corona contact ban .
- This decision causes discussions
On Sunday (April 5th, 2020), activists called attention to the situation of refugees in Greece in front of the New Town Hall in Göttingen under the motto "Leave a trail". The action was eventually canceled by the police. This is causing discussion now.
In view of the worldwide expansion of the corona virus, several organizations (including SeaWatch, Seebrücke and the Association of Democratic Doctors) have called for a protest against European border policy and for the immediate evacuation of refugee camps on the Greek islands.
Göttingen: Police dissolve demo because of Corona contact ban - minimum distance not maintained
Under the motto "we leave traces - LeaveNoOneBehind" the participants were asked to leave individually sprayed footprints or old shoes at the place of the protest as a sign of their presence. This should prevent crowds of people so that there is no risk of infection in corona times .
A plan that the police officers present on site did not really work out. First of all, the minimum distance regarding the corona contact ban between the participants of the campaign had been observed. That changed after a good two hours, according to the Göttingen police. Groups formed too close, according to the police. Therefore there were requests to comply with the requirements. Most of the participants complied with the request. Only four people had to record the personal details.
Demo over Corona contact ban resolved: Göttingen police acted "farsightedly"
About an hour and a half after the start of the protest (and thus well before the planned end), the police broke up in Corona during the violation of the ban on the meeting. In their view, the police acted “farsightedly” and adhered to the regulations. For Roland Laich from the civil rights organization "Citizens watching the police and judiciary" from Göttingen , who accompanied the campaign, the early dissolution was not understandable.
In times of Corona we have to act more solidly and support those who are particularly hard hit. Therefore, decentralized and contact-free actions will take place all over # Göttingen today to draw attention to the situation in the Greek camps.
- Göttingen pier (@Seebruecke_Goe) April 5, 2020“We observed that the pandemic requirements were met by the participants,” he says. "Although the Göttingen police asked the 20-30 people present to go to the Raiffeisenbank building when the Göttingen police asked to dissolve the assembly, a second call was made," said Laich.
Göttingen: Demonstrators criticize police for lack of protection from corona
In the subsequent personal identifications, which were carried out despite continued compliance with the regulations, the officials had neither kept the required safety distance from each other, nor protected themselves and others from mouth corona or gloves from the corona virus.
"The only danger that day came from the 15 or so officers, who unprotected often ignored the safety distance required from those present," criticized Laich. Protection against infection looks different in his eyes. "The whole event will still have an administrative aftermath," announced Laich. "Because even in times of the pandemic, the fundamental right of freedom of assembly does not vanish."
Demo in Göttingen: Participants allegedly did not abide by corona requirements
According to the police, the police do not see any problems due to the cooperation between individual officers in a confined space. Background: The police are currently on patrol in permanent occupations, according to the Göttingen police leadership .
Members of the "Citizens watch the police and judiciary, Göttingen " initiative watched the action. According to the group, the group was not the organizer of the demo campaign. In addition, their members were not there as participants in the demo, it said in a message. The activists made it clear in a press release that they believed that the demo participants had complied with the Corona requirements . But the police obviously see it differently.
By Bernd Schlegel and Per Schröter
The corona virus spreads in Lower Saxony. As of April 6, 2020, over 6,000 people in the state are infected.
In the district of Göttingen (as of April 6, 2020), seven people have died from the coronavirus.
