The scenery was martial. Under the protection of a major police squad, AfD co-founder Bernd Lucke held a lecture on Wednesday for the first time after his return to the University of Hamburg until the end. Several dozen policemen sealed the building with barriers.
In addition, a private security service controlled the entrance so that only registered persons were allowed access. In contrast to the past two weeks, it was quiet. Demonstrating students merely distributed flyers, held up a banner, and held a small rally.
The concept of the senate had worked out, the science authority said. The cost of the entire security measures amount to a six-figure amount, as university spokeswoman Merel Neuheuser announced. This included the cost of the lost working time due to the bomb threat last week, as it is related to the issue.
"Just survive"
Lucke himself had opened the event with a little joke that the lecture now takes place right next to the prison, then told a participant. Lucke was contentwise "not better and not worse than other professors," said the student.
Unlike in the past few weeks, the lecture did not take place on the main campus, but rather off in a physics lecture hall near Hamburg's detention center.
Another visitor to the lecture told the SPIEGEL that he was "the person Lucke schnurzegal - I just want to pass this exam with 4.0". Time and again students emphasized that it was a compulsory event and they could not choose the lecturers.
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The university has meanwhile announced that it will offer a digital offer and an additional lecture on the same topic to another lecturer from next week - to give the "many frightened students" an alternative to Luckes lectures. In addition, according to the communication, the Psychotherapeutic Outpatient Clinic offers ad hoc therapies to manage post-traumatic stress disorder.
Previously, Lucke had rejected the offer of the university, instead of an on-site lecture to conduct an online lecture. Science Senator Katharina Fegebank (Greens) instructed the University President Dieter Lenzen then that the lecture should also take place this week.