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Police operation on the »Rigaer 94«
Photo: Omer Messinger / Getty Images
The police broke open the door to the partially occupied “Rigaer 94” building in Berlin-Friedrichshain in order to get inside for the planned fire protection test.
The emergency services were in action in the morning with ram, cut-off machine and chainsaw, as a reporter from the news agency dpa reported.
Previously, there had been talks between lawyers for the residents, the fire safety inspector and the police.
The building is considered a meeting place for the left-wing extremist scene.
The negotiations were unsuccessful, said a police spokeswoman.
The residents of Rigaer Strasse 94 only wanted to let the fire protection expert into the house alone, without the police.
According to their own statements, the police have 350 workers deployed around Rigaer Straße so that the fire protection inspector can carry out his task.
The residents of the house "Rigaer 94" and their supporters had previously announced resistance to the inspection of the house and repeatedly threatened with violence.
The homeowner, the police and the relevant authorities have long been denied entry.
On Wednesday, numerous masked barricades were erected, set alight and stones were thrown at the police.
For years there has been a dispute over the house, which has been occupied since 1990.
There have been riots several times, for example during searches.
In the immediate vicinity, the house at Liebigstrasse 34, which was also occupied, was evacuated by the police last October.
bbr / dpa
