Corona demo in Kassel: "We did not expect 20,000 participants" - police provide information about arrests

Corona demonstrators and counter-demonstrators have been in Kassel since Saturday morning.

The police were on site with a large contingent.

All news in the ticker.

• On Saturday (March 20th, 2021)

  a large demonstration against the

  Corona

  * measures took place

  in

  Kassel

  .

• The

  police

  were on a large scale, a helicopter observed the situation.

• Corona-News *: Critics and so-called "lateral thinkers" traveled

  to Kassel *

  from all over

  Germany

  .

+++ Update ticker now +++

+++ 10:14 p.m.:

According to the police, the

vast majority of the

demo participants

did not comply with the corona requirements.

About 20,000 people

demonstrated against the Corona measures

in

Kassel

on Saturday

.

The demonstrators have neither complied with the police's dissolution orders, nor have hygiene or distance rules been observed, the police said.

During the

Corona demo

in

Kassel

there were around a dozen arrests for criminal offenses, mainly because of resistance to enforcement officers and breaches of the peace.

According to the police, final figures are not yet available.

In the meantime, the greatest number of people who had gathered in

Kassel

today

have left the city area, the police said.

The police are currently still in action in the city.

There has been massive criticism of the police’s actions.

A police spokesman said the number of demonstrators took them by surprise.

Corona demo in Kassel: the police often seemed overwhelmed - criticism from the SPD

+++ 9:52 p.m.:

Buses

and

trains

in

Kassel

are back on all regular routes.

However, some considerable delays and individual cancellations in local public transport must still be expected, reports the KVG.

+++ 8:53 p.m.:

Kassel has

probably never experienced

such a day

.

More than 20,000 people

demonstrated

against the

Corona measures

on Saturday

- despite a ban, most of them were without a mask on Friedrichsplatz and later marched through the streets in endlessly long trains.

The

police

often seemed overwhelmed and let the demonstrators have their way.

A spokesman said they wanted to de-escalate, but have since been surprised by the large number of participants.

Around 15,000 participants

stayed

in the downtown area of

Kassel

.

"We did not expect this number of 20,000 participants," said the spokesman.

The police had expected a maximum number of participants in the lower five-digit range.

The Kassel Bundestag member Timon Gremmels (SPD) expressed severe criticism to the

hr

: "It must not be that the conditions are not implemented. There should have been a lot more police on site."

+

Kassel: Corona demonstrators gathered on Friedrichsplatz on Saturday.

© Alia Diana Shuhaiber

Corona demo in Kassel: "We did not expect 20,000 participants"

Many people responded indignantly on social media to a video showing police officers

using force to remove

a

bicycle barrier

from counter-demonstrators.

The

police

tweeted: "There are pictures and videos circulating on the net that are critical of the intervention of the emergency services and show the police when they allegedly show solidarity. We take this very seriously and will deal with the matter intensively."

On the other hand, the approved rally on the Schwanenwiese in

Kassel was

peaceful

, where speakers, to the applause of around 6,000 people, called for the withdrawal of all

corona measures

.

Solidarity with demo participants?

Criticism of the police's actions

+++ 7:52 p.m.:

The

Corona demo

in

Kassel

is not over yet.

A polonaise celebrating demonstrators behind the State Theater has now been disbanded.

More than a hundred people danced there without any distance to music after Friedrichsplatz was cleared, as a video on Twitter shows.

On the

Friedrichsplatz

take police officers still on Personal.

After the riots at the protests in

Kassel,

there has been criticism of the

police’s

actions

.

It was "an absolutely incomprehensible retreat of the state" that thousands of corona deniers were able to walk through the city center of Kassel without masks and without any distance, said the parliamentary manager of the SPD parliamentary group, Günter Rudolph, according to the

dpa

.

There is also criticism based on alleged expressions of solidarity by the police.

A photo on Twitter shows a policewoman forming a heart with her hands.

A demo participant stands next to her.

This carries a sign that reads “Protect our children from this madness”.

Corona demo in Kassel: criticism of the police's actions

"There are pictures and videos circulating on the internet that are critical of the intervention of the emergency services and show the

police

when they allegedly show solidarity," the North Hesse police headquarters wrote on Twitter.

They take this very seriously and will work intensively on the issues.

“Our neutrality is very important, especially when it comes to demonstrations.

Behavior that violates the police's neutrality requirement or raises doubts is not acceptable to us, ”said the police.

+

Corona demonstrators and police forces face each other in Kassel.

© Swen Pförtner / dpa

According to an estimate by the police, more than 20,000 people

demonstrated

against the

Corona measures

in

Kassel

on Saturday

.

The city's court-confirmed conditions were massively disregarded.

In addition, many participants did not wear mouth and nose protection.

Corona demo in Kassel: "Do it as long as the police let us" - Friedrichsplatz cleared

+++ 7.14 p.m.:

 The live ticker for the 

large

corona

demonstration in 

Kassel 

has ended.

+++ 6.50 p.m.:

After several riots due to the

Corona

demonstration, the

police have

now started to clear Friedrichsplatz - and are almost done with it.

The last of the protesters leave the Untereustadt.

Many of them are now also drunk.

The

police helicopter

is still circling over the city center.

It is the possible end of an unusual day that

Kassel will

probably talk about for a long time.

Corona demo in Kassel: "Do it as long as the police let us"

+++ 6.17 p.m.:

In the meantime, a

corona

demonstration train has almost arrived at the

Kassel

culture station.

The participants walk all over the city center - always along where the

police

can't stop them.

It's like a game of cat and mouse.

One of the participants said: “We'll do this as long as the police let us.

I'm not going back to Dresden until tomorrow. "

However, the

police were

able to prevent the demonstrators, who are still moving through the city, from returning to the city via stairs street.

In addition, the crowd in front of the Kulturbahnhof now seems to be slowly dissolving.

Corona demo in Kassel: demonstrators cause traffic problems

+++ 6 p.m.:

People are also no longer allowed to enter the Friedrichsplatz area from stairs street.

In addition, police vans drive through Königsstrasse.

The big demonstration of

Corona

critics and "

lateral thinkers

" meanwhile moves on in and through the northern part of the city - and causes many traffic problems.

In addition to Kurt-Schumacher-Strasse, Holländische Platz in the direction of Wolfhager Strasse is also closed.

Outside the city, there is

also a massive

build-up in

Kassel

: the city police now have to regulate the traffic on Frankfurter Strasse.

Corona demo in Kassel: Demonstration train pulls through the northern part of the city

+++ 5.47 p.m.:

Apparently, many participants

do not want to end

the demonstration in

Kassel

yet.

Again, several hundred

Corona

demonstrators made their way from Friedrichsplatz towards the Kulturbahnhof.

They are stopped by the police on Kurt-Schumacher-Strasse.

The mood is aggressive.

The demonstrators are now moving on towards Holländischer Platz.

Some protesters have almost arrived at Halit Square in the northern part of the city.

The

police

keep trying to stop them, but the demonstrators keep going.

In Moritzstrasse, residents have already made the demonstrators wet with several buckets of water from the fourth floor.

Corona demo in Kassel: "lateral thinkers" dance and shout at Friedrichsplatz

+++ 5.13 p.m.:

On Twitter, the police are currently being praised by sympathizers of the "lateral thinkers" movement, as they

would allow

the

Corona

demonstrators to do their thing.

A participant in the

demonstration was

also enthusiastic about “how great it is here”.

There are currently thousands more people in the area

around

Friedrichsplatz in

Kassel

.

About 2500 should still be on the Schwanenwiese.

While the hedge behind the district court is being misused as an open-air toilet, “

lateral thinkers

” who stand in front of a row of police officers

dance, shout and chant

: “The wall must go”.

The emergency services have now formed a chain so that no more people can enter the area.

The task of the

police

is now to avoid damage, as a spokesman says.

That is why the participants are allowed to move on through the city.

A total of 20,000 people are said to have been in the city today.

The first families with children leave.

+

Kassel: A corona protester is discussing with the police.

© Alia Diana Shuhaiber

Corona demo in Kassel: journalist attacked by participants

+++ 4.42 p.m.:

The situation seems to be uglier again.

While the mouth and nose protection has just been torn from a journalist's face, the

Corona

demonstrators are now criss-crossing the Five-Window-Street.

A few meters further, the police are now blocking Obere Königsstrasse and the way to the

town hall

.

Meanwhile, SPD member of the Bundestag

Timon Gremmels commented

on the demonstration in

Kassel

: "Thanks to the law enforcement officers of the city and the

police

who use their health to ensure the constitutionally protected right to demonstrate," writes Gremmels on Twitter.

It is completely unacceptable that the lateral thinkers obviously do not adhere to the requirements.

The SPD politician questions whether there were enough emergency services on site: “I always differentiate between the work of the police officers and on-site operations and the political responsibility of the police president and interior minister.

This raises the question of why there are obviously too few people on site. " 

Corona demo in Kassel: Demonstrators gather on Friedrichsplatz

+++ 16:27:

In the overcrowded Königstor the residents demonstrate in their own way.

The

Corona

demonstrators wave up to them and shout “Take off your mask” and “Close the window”.

Still other residents cheer the "

lateral thinkers

" and get applause for it.

The crowds are gathering again at Friedrichsplatz in the city center.

In view of the fact that some demonstrators are still on the way to the west and east of

Kassel

, it should only get busier here.

+

In view of the corona demonstration in Kassel, some counter-demonstrators are getting creative.

© Diana Rissmann

Corona demo in Kassel: demonstrators are likely to return to the city center

+++ 4 p.m.:

The

Corona

demonstration train is now moving back towards the city center of

Kassel

via the Königstor

.

The

rally has

now ended

on the Schwanenwiese

.

Some participants shout "peace" and "freedom".

Thousands are now moving through the Untereustadt towards the city center

Finally, the

police

estimate

15,000 to 20,000 people in the entire city center, 6000 of them at the event on the Schwanenwiese ..

Corona demo in Kassel: slow traffic in the front west

+++ 3.40 p.m.:

A

corona

demonstration train is currently moving over Friedrich-Ebert-Straße in

Kassel

.

Except for a police helicopter observing the situation from the air, no emergency services can be seen here.

Due to the large number of

demonstrators

, traffic congestion occurs in the surrounding side streets.

But it seems to be quieter in the city center.

The last speaker on the Schwanenwiese stands at the microphone and complains that no one is allowed to express his or her opinion.

Then she gives her opinion in great detail.

Thousands of participants will

make

their way back to the

city

“in 29 minutes at the latest”

.

Corona demo in Kassel: Police use water cannons against demonstrators

+++ 3:08 p.m.:

According to the

police,

water cannons were

also used on the Altmarkt

.

Bottles were thrown there and attempts were made to break through barriers.

It was said that that could be prevented.

Videos showing the action appear

on

Twitter

.

In

the afternoon, the

police

estimated the number of

Corona

demonstrators at around 10,000 in the entire city center.

The Hessian forces in

Kassel

receive

support from North Rhine-Westphalia, Thuringia and Rhineland-Palatinate. 

Corona demo in Kassel: Are there too few emergency services on site?

+++ 2:50 p.m

.: A few minutes ago a speaker was standing in the middle of the Steinweg

to speak

to

Corona

demonstrators - all without masks.

The

police are

now reacting and want to dissolve the meeting on Friedrichsplatz.

Participants are asked to put on mouth and nose protection.

In addition, the dissolution will be announced via loudspeaker announcements.

However, there seem to be far too few emergency services on site, as the announcement is

drowned out

by megaphones of the "

lateral thinkers

".

On the Schwanenwiese in

Kassel

, the organizer Sunny says that water cannons are nearby.

And another appeal to the police: “We don't need something like that here.” Shortly afterwards, she asks the participants to put on medical masks.

Nobody pulls one up.

A little later it is said that the meeting is about to be

dissolved

.

Only then do the participants pay attention to a little more distance.

Corona demo in Kassel: Police take action in the city center

+++ 2.25 p.m.:

The rapper SchwrzVyce provides the preliminary climax on the Schwanenwiese.

Participants bounce to lines like “Fake News Media.

The resistance is there. ”Then everyone repeats the sentence:“ Our country is ruled by criminals. ”Even normal pensioners and

families

take part.

The

counter-demonstration

is still running on Opernplatz 

- now well protected by the

police

.

The demonstrators call in the direction of “lateral thinkers”: “Get rid of!”.

Corona

demonstrators are currently

trying

to get into the city center

via Lutherstrasse in

Kassel

.

However, the police take decisive action - and are verbally attacked for this.

+

Participants in the corona demonstration on the Schwanenwiese in Kassel.

© Matthias Lohr

Corona demo in Kassel: bus and train traffic partially suspended

+++ 2:05 p.m.:

Some of the

Corona

demonstrators are now moving

down

Wilhelmshöher Allee in

Kassel

towards the city center.

As a result, there is currently a traffic chaos in Querallee and Schönfelder Strasse.

It is unclear how many demonstration participants and “

lateral thinkers

” are currently on the Schwanenwiese, the actual location of the demonstration.

The

bus

and

train traffic

in the city center is still suspended.

In addition, the routes Altmarkt to Platz der Deutschen Einheit, Stern to Holländische Strasse, Altmarkt to Weserspitze, Fünffensterstrasse, Wilhelmshöher Allee and Friedrich-Ebert-Strasse are closed.

There are sometimes considerable delays on almost all train and bus routes, and individual journeys are also canceled.

Currently, only lines 4 and 8 from the Sandershäuser Straße stop in the direction of Lossetal are largely in the timetable, reports the

KVG

.

Corona demo in Kassel: police use water cannons

+++ 1.40 p.m.:

In the city center, more

corona

demonstrators are walking from the Ständeplatz towards the town hall.

The

police are

now trying to keep the two groups apart and are also using a

water cannon

.

Meanwhile, on the Schwanenwiese, the organizer Sunny criticizes the police who

beat demonstrators

in

Kassel

: "Why are you doing this? Stay peaceful. We are peaceful."

One of the organizers estimates that there are now more than 10,000 participants on site.

If you ask him why nobody

wears

a

mask

, he says: "Many have a certificate."

+

Corona demo: Demonstrators and counter-demonstrators meet in downtown Kassel.

© Florian Hagemann

Corona demo in Kassel: Demonstration on the Schwanenwiese begins

+++ 1:25 p.m.:

The first speaker at the

Corona demo

on Schwanenwiese is lawyer Reiner Füllmich, who is celebrated by the visitors like a pop star.

He also gets applause for his sentence that

there is a fascist-totalitarian system

in

Germany

.

At the end he gives the audience the tip that sunlight is the best disinfectant.

In the city center of

Kassel

, however, both demonstrators and counter-demonstrators are still on the move.

While

journalists

on Friedrichsplatz are being harassed and shouted with "lying press" calls, residents are encouraged to join in and walk through the city.

Also

mannheim24.de

* reported.

Few of them move in the direction of Schwanenwiese, as required.

The

police

speak of several attacks on emergency services.

Corona demo in Kassel: police clear the blockade

+++ 1:11 p.m.:

The police are currently trying

to separate

the

corona

demonstrators and counter-demonstrators - this only works to a limited extent in some places.

A video on Twitter can also be seen as police officers clear a blockade of counter-demonstrators in Kassel.

In addition, the

police have

confirmed that the number of participants on the Schwanenwiese is already in the four-digit range.

They have currently allowed further admission.

The situation is still dynamic, said the police spokesman.

There are currently smaller groups in different parts of

Kassel

, including in the Weserspitze and Wolfhager Straße area.

The number of participants is therefore difficult to estimate.

The mood is partly heated, said the spokesman.

+

A protester at the Corona demo in Kassel.

© Andreas Lukesch

Corona demo in Kassel: participants attack each other

+++ 12.55 p.m

.: Originally, the

Corona

demonstration by the critics and so-called "lateral thinkers" was

supposed to be

limited to the place of German unity and the Schwanenwiese in the east of

Kassel

.

Nothing of that can be seen anymore.

Occasionally on the Königsplatz demonstrators meet counter-demonstrators, in addition to violent verbal battles, fists have already clashed here - although both sides repeatedly shouted "No violence".

The Königsplatz is cleared, the

police announce

via loudspeaker that only the

demonstration is allowed

on the Schwanenwiese.

However, there are currently clashes between the police and demonstrators between Entenanger and Königsplatz.

The police also use pepper spray.

The tram traffic in the city center has been completely stopped, the police said on Twitter.

Corona demo in Kassel: riots in the city center

+++ 12.38 p.m.:

According to the

police

, due to the forbidden gatherings with riots in the city center of

Kassel,

pepper spray and baton have already been used.

Fuldaerzeitung.de

*

also reports on

this

.

Water cannons are ready, a helicopter gets an overview, say the police on Twitter.

“

Unconventional thinkers

” and

counter-demonstrators

are currently meeting at Königsplatz

.

The mood is charged.

According to an eyewitness, a press photographer was also allegedly beaten up by two people.

Sunny, Ilhan and Jan, who registered the

Corona

demo, have just opened the event.

They are completely normal citizens who protest against the disproportionate measures.

“Our basic rights,” says Ilhan, “are non-negotiable.” To applause, they demand the lifting of all corona measures.

Corona demo in Kassel: demonstrators want to break through the police cordon

+++ 12.26 p.m.:

In downtown

Kassel

the situation threatens to escalate.

While the Steinweg in the direction of the horse market has been closed for a few minutes,

Corona

demonstrators

are now trying

to break through a police barrier.

A

water

cannon is already driving along Lutherstrasse.

Königsstrasse is now closed to public transport in both directions because there are too many people there.

The lanes will be diverted via Stestandplatz and Scheidemannplatz.

This also applies to bus lines 10, 16, 17 and NVV lines 30, 32, 37, 52, 100 and 500. The KVG recommends that you avoid the city center as much as possible.

Corona demo: Chaotic scenes in the city center of Kassel

+++ 12.10 p.m.:

Currently, many participants are on the Steinweg - also between moving cars.

According to the

police

, this is more of a spontaneous action, as many people walk from the city center towards Schwanenwiese.

One is about to get an overview.

Various groups have now gathered around the Lutherturm as well as on the Karlsaue.

As the "Alliance against the Right" reports,

Corona demonstrators are

even

trying

to break through police barriers.

A live stream on Twitter currently shows downright chaotic conditions in downtown

Kassel

.

Corona demo in Kassel: counter-demonstrators want to set signals

+++ 11.52 am:

The counter-demonstration in

Kassel

is organized by the "Alliance against the Right", which wants to set a sign for solidarity and against the so-called "lateral thinkers", said organizer and left-wing member of the state parliament Torsten Felstehausen.

Feline Hoffmann is also there.

The 20-year-old has designed a poster that says: “We don't give up our streets for oaths.” She says it is incredibly important to set an example when you notice that the self-proclaimed “lateral thinkers” in our city “

Could

travel and spread their

corona conspiracy theories

.

Kassel: Corona demonstrators hardly adhere to the mask requirement

+++ 11.33 a.m.:

While the number of participants on the Schwanenwiese in

Kassel is

currently still quite manageable, there is already more activity in front of the State Theater and the Fridericianum.

Many of the

corona

demonstrators do not adhere to the

mask requirement

.

According to the

police

, the event will now be postponed a little because many participants have to be led from the floodplain to the Schwanenwiese.

It is currently believed that the aforementioned figure of 6,000 demonstrators is realistic.

According to the organizers, the proceedings at the

Federal Constitutional Court are

still ongoing.

If their complaint were approved, they could still resort to Karlswiese.

There the rally would take place without a stage.

Meanwhile, a

counter-demonstration is

already running on Opernplatz

.

The trams are currently still driving through Königsstraße.

+

Corona demo in Kassel: Counter-demonstrators have already gathered on Opernplatz.

© Florian Hagemann

Kassel: Police helicopter in action - KVG reports schedule changes due to corona demo

+++ 11.04 a.m.:

A police helicopter is already on the

way

over

Kassel

.

According to the

police

, he is currently flying out of the appropriate places in the city to have a view of the inflow to the city center from above

.

In addition, Yorckstrasse near the Platz der Deutschen Einheit is now closed.

The Kasseler Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (KVG) indicates on its information boards that the

Corona demonstration may

lead to changes in the

timetable

.

Already yesterday it was said that one was determined to take buses and trains today, wherever and however possible.

Based on the information about the meetings, several variants for the bus and train lines in the city of Kassel have been developed and replacement buses have been organized.

However, passengers should be prepared for longer walking distances and travel times; further line closures may require additional transfers from trams to replacement buses, the

KVG announced

.

Corona demo in Kassel: people in buses without distance and mask

Update from Saturday, March 20th, 2021, 10:38 a.m.:

A silver coach filled with people without distance and mask was just driving over Frankfurter Straße towards the city center.

The

federal police

on

Twitter

once again

informs

all those arriving at the train stations in

Kassel

that a mask is required.

Researchers from the ZEW Economic Institute in Mannheim and the Humboldt University of Bonn have already found effects on corona infections from bus trips in the past.

The investigation is based on the 

corona infection process

*

in the counties where bus companies offered rides to the demos.

According to the scientists, the 

7-day incidence 

- i.e. the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within a week - rose significantly more sharply there than in circles in which the bus companies did not offer any travel.

Corona demo: People from all over Germany travel to Kassel

There are also several dozen caravans with license plates from all over

Germany

on the Giesewiesen and Auedamm,

including cities such as Nuremberg, Stuttgart, Fürth and Cuxhaven.

The

police

are represented at the orangery and thus around Karlswiese with a

large number

.

However, the Fulda Bridge is free and there are no barriers recognizable that could be erected at short notice.

Preparations are in progress on the Schwanenwiese, where the rally against the

Corona

measures is to take place according to the current status.

While the organizers are

recommending

participants by

telegram

to go downtown, the stage on the Schwanenwiese has long been set up.

One of the first visitors to the Schwanenwiese says: “It's pretty tight here.

The Karlswiese would have been so beautiful.

The most beautiful place in

Kassel

. "

Kassel: Large corona demo is to take place on the Schwanenwiese

First report from Saturday, March 20th, 2021, 10.15 a.m .:

Kassel - Despite efforts by the city of

Kassel

, the controversial large-scale demo against the

Corona

measures * will take place on Saturday (March 20th, 2021).

It is planned, however, that the event will be limited to

Schwanenwiese

and

Platz der Deutschen Einheit

.

In addition, the number of participants should be limited to 6000.

The Hessian Administrative Court (VGH) decided on Friday evening (March 19, 2021).

According to our information, however, the organizers have lodged an objection with the Federal Constitutional Court - with the aim:

As planned, 17,500 participants should be able to demonstrate

on

Karlswiese

.

The event was previously prohibited by the Hessen-Kassel Museum Landscape (MHK) on Thursday (March 18, 2021).

Corona demo: Kassel police are preparing a large-scale operation - several counter-demonstrations expected

Due to the planned

Corona

demo in

Kassel

*, the police are preparing for a

large-scale operation

.

In a press release from the police headquarters in North Hesse it is said: "It is the task of the

police

on Saturday to enable all people to participate in non-forbidden meetings and to enforce court bans."

At the same time, several

counter-events were

registered - including by the Alliance against the Right on Opernplatz.

So far it is unclear whether the demonstrators will meet or protest at different locations.

Due to the various events and the large number of police,

traffic obstructions

in the east of the city and restrictions in

local public transport are

to be expected.

Kassel: Will the Corona demo become a superspreader event?

The Gemünder aerosol researcher Gerhard Scheuch is not expecting a

superspreader

event: "With such

demos

, individual infections can occur, but never a cluster infection as in the interior," Scheuch told the HNA.

(Alia Diana Shuhaiber, Florian Hagemann, Matthias Lohr and Nail Akkoyun)

* hna.de, mannheim24.de and fuldaerzeitung.de are offers from IPPEN.MEDIA.

List of rubric lists: © Swen Pförtner / dpa