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Demonstration in Stuttgart: "What still has to happen?"
Photo: via www.imago-images.de / imago images / Nicolaj Zownir
Again demonstrators of the "lateral thinker" movement disregarded requirements, and again there were attacks and violence: The course of the mass rally in Stuttgart sparked a debate about basic rights in the pandemic and the basic treatment of the "lateral thinkers" clientele.
Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas sharply criticized the Stuttgart rally with more than 10,000 people.
Everyone has the right to demonstrate, wrote the SPD politician on Twitter.
But when thousands are on the move without a mask or distance, "it violates every rule and even more so against every reason."
He further complained: "Anyone who takes part is not only endangering his own health, but also that of others."
Hundreds of police officers were on duty in the city because of the mass rally on Saturday, but hardly intervened because of the numerous violations of the corona rules.
This aroused a lot of criticism - as well as attacks on media teams.
Among other things, a demo participant had hit a journalist from Dortmund in the face, the police arrested a 37-year-old suspect.
Maas wrote that insults and attacks on journalists had absolutely nothing to do with the freedom to demonstrate.
“These are attacks on freedom of the press.
You have to be prosecuted and punished. "
The German Association of Journalists (DJV) also expressed outrage: There had been "physical attacks against journalists and stone-throwing," the association said.
A SWR television team had to break off a live broadcast with the »Tagesschau«, a journalist had apparently been injured.
"Once again, the self-proclaimed lateral thinkers have no inhibitions about attacking reporters as the target of their anger," said the DJV federal chairman Frank Überall.
But he is also angry with "the obvious inaction of the police officers who do nothing to protect our colleagues."
The DJV expects clear answers from those responsible for the police operation as to why the journalists are not adequately protected.
"What still has to happen before the security forces realize that journalists in Germany can no longer report freely?"
The state government of Baden-Württemberg called everywhere to work out a "convincing protection concept" for future demonstrations.
"Mr. Kretschmann, you are responsible for the safety of the journalists!" Said Überall, referring to the Green Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann.
Meanwhile, criticism came from Kretschmann's government: "I do not understand that the city has maneuvered itself into this situation with sight," said Ministerial Director Uwe Lahl from the State Ministry of Health.
Both in writing and in a personal phone call, he had shown the mayor of Stuttgart, Clemens Maier, the possibilities that the state's Corona regulation also offers for a ban on large-scale demonstrations.
"The right to demonstrate is a valuable asset, but in a pandemic there are limits to it too."
Ministerial Director Uwe Lahl
How can one explain to the population that only five people from two households are allowed to meet on the Easter holidays, while thousands of demonstrators marched through the city without a mask and without a minimum distance, said Lahl.
"The right to demonstrate is a valuable asset, but in a pandemic there are also limits to it."
The spokesman for the city of Stuttgart, Sven Matis, said that the state's current Corona ordinance was adhered to, which does not restrict the basic right to meetings because of the pandemic.
"That was our yardstick," says Matis, they were guided by the state ordinance.
The concept was that all demonstrators would gather at the end on the Cannstatter Wasen and not go uncontrolled through Stuttgart.
Mayor Maier, however, announced consultations with the state government about the extent to which the Corona regulation could be adjusted based on experience.
According to the city, the rally remained peaceful, with a few exceptions, but there were thousands of administrative offenses.
Everyone who wandered through the city without a mask and without a distance to the rallies would have to expect reports, it said.
The police said that 254 violations had been punished by Saturday evening.
The police reported several incidents: At noon, 20 people who allegedly belonged to the rocker milieu were checked in front of the town hall.
Quartz gloves, pyrotechnic items and balaclavas were confiscated.
A police officer was slightly injured.
In addition, three officers were injured when they prevented a meeting of demonstrators and people from a counter demo.
According to the police, an investigation is being initiated against the leader of the bucket assembly, which began in the morning at Marienplatz.
In addition, partially masked counter-demonstrators with bicycles and road blockades are said to have tried to prevent the train to the Cannstatter Wasen.
The police broke up the crowd and took hundreds of personal details.
The State Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Baden-Württemberg is observing the "lateral thinking" movement.
The authority assigns several actors to the milieu of "Reich citizens" and "self-administrators" who, among other things, negate democratic and constitutional structures.
The "lateral thinking" movement rejects these allegations.
mxw / dpa / AFP