Again, opponents of the corona measures took to the streets.
In Kassel, the police also used batons and pepper spray.
Apparent expressions of solidarity cause an uproar.
Update from March 20, 9:17 p.m.:
Corona opponents, counter-demonstrators and the police met in Kassel on Saturday.
Pictures and videos on Twitter show many scenes.
There is some violence involved.
In a video, for example, according to the tweet, “lateral thinkers” roam the streets when a couple of alleged Antifa supporters block their way with bicycles.
In addition to the Corona opponents, individual police officers are also cracking down on people and pulling their bikes off the street or pushing them away.
This is followed by cheers and applause from the “lateral thinkers”.
In addition, the police are said to have let the demonstrators go unmolested.
There is also a photo circulating that shows a policewoman pointing a heart with her hands towards a woman who is carrying a sign that reads: "Protect our children from this madness." The context in which the picture was created is closed unclear at this point.
However, as a result of such images, some users raise questions.
One author writes: “Why do you attack peaceful citizens like me and willfully demolish my bike instead of stopping the forbidden maverick march?” The North Hesse police have now also taken a position on Twitter: “There are pictures and videos circulating on the internet, which ones present the intervention of emergency services critically and show the police to alleged expressions of solidarity.
We take this very seriously and will work intensively on the facts. ”And further:“ Our neutrality is very important, especially when deploying on the occasion of demonstrations.
Behavior that violates the police's neutrality requirement or raises doubts is not acceptable to us. "
Police also say they were surprised by the large number of participants.
"We did not expect this number of 20,000 participants," said a police spokesman for the
hr
.
One expected a higher four-digit number of participants.
The SPD politician Timon Gremmels, who sits in the Bundestag for Kassel, speaks up: On Twitter, he thanks the local police for their commitment.
"It is completely unacceptable that the lateral thinkers obviously do not adhere to the requirements." However, he criticizes those responsible: "This raises the question of why there are obviously too few people on site."
+
A participant with a red pointed cap and no mouth and nose cover stands in front of police officers at a rally under the motto “Free Citizens of Kassel - Fundamental Rights and Democracy”.
© Swen Pförtner / dpa
Corona protests in Kassel: Police estimate around 20,000 participants - several officials attacked
Update from March 20, 5:10 p.m.:
According to police
estimates,
around 20,000 people demonstrated against the Corona containment measures on Saturday in Kassel.
The court-confirmed conditions of the city, which had actually only allowed 6000 participants on a double seat in the periphery, were massively disregarded.
Many participants did not
adhere
to the requirement to wear mouth and nose protection
(see update from March 20, 2:53 p.m.).
Several officials were attacked, said a police spokesman according to
dpa
.
Journalists were also attacked and verbally abused.
The police officers reportedly used batons and pepper spray as well as the water cannon.
Several people have been arrested.
In the afternoon it was a little more peaceful.
The demonstrators on the central Friedrichsplatz were colorfully mixed: families, lateral thinkers, self-employed, conspiracy theorists, hippies and vaccination opponents.
It was only possible to guess who exactly belonged to which camp: rainbow flags waved next to flags of various countries, “Merkel must go” banners stood next to “counter-racism” signs.
The police were only present in a few places with water cannons and emergency services and apparently relied on de-escalation.
She seldom tried to enforce the rules; she held back on the unauthorized parades around the city center, before many demonstrators left in the afternoon.
+
Police forces stand next to a water cannon at a rally under the motto “Free Citizens of Kassel - Basic Rights and Democracy”.
© Swen Pförtner / dpa
Corona protests in Kassel: protesters without masks and distance
Update from March 20, 2:53 p.m
.: "We do not tolerate such attacks.
Peaceful protest looks different, "tweeted the police about the Corona demo in Kassel
(see initial report below)
.
Demonstrators had come together to "forbidden meetings" in the city center.
During the demonstration by the “lateral thinking” group through the city center, emergency services had been attacked several times, the police said.
A helicopter gets an overview, it said.
The tram traffic in the city center is completely stopped.
The police tweeted an "urgent appeal" to the demonstrators to "adhere to the hygiene rules".
An
AFP
reporter on site reported that the demonstrators did not wear masks and did not adhere to the rules of distance.
Among other things, the banners read: “No more lockdown”, “Söder away” and “Merkel away”.
Corona protests escalate in Kassel - police intervene if the demo is not registered
Our first report from March 20
: Kassel - A corona demo escalated this Saturday.
During protests against the lockdown * measures, there were massive clashes between the demonstrators and the police.
According to the police, several thousand people were out and about in the city center and disregarded the instructions of the authorities during an unregistered demonstration.
There were arrests and the use of pepper spray and batons when the "lateral thinkers" tried to break a police chain.
There were also scuffles with counter-demonstrators.
Corona demo in Kassel: "In addition to violent verbal battles, fists also clash"
+
Police officers are watching the Corona demo in Kassel on March 20, 2021 - the protests have now led to riots.
© ARMANDO BABANI / AFP
The colleagues from
fr.de *
who are on site write in their report: “Occasionally, demonstrators meet counter-demonstrators on Königsplatz, in addition to fierce verbal battles, fists have already clashed here - although both sides repeatedly shouted 'No violence' .
The
editorial network Germany (RND)
reports that many did not wear mouth and nose protection.
A demo against the Corona * measures was also registered for this afternoon on Alexanderplatz in Berlin.
Corona demos in Dresden and Stuttgart: Protestors attack reporters
There were already riots last weekend.
In Dresden on Saturday, despite the ban on a “lateral thinking” demonstration, hundreds of critics of the Corona * measures gathered in the city - at times the protests got out of hand.
Twelve police officers were injured and almost 50 crimes were recorded.
Several state politicians accused the police and the interior minister of underestimating the situation and called for political reappraisal.
In Stuttgart on the same day, hundreds of people demonstrated against a year of lockdown policy, school closings, isolation and bankruptcies.
After the demonstration broke up, media representatives were attacked.
A television team of the
Südwestrundfunk (SWR)
was thrown by a demo participant with an object, as a police spokesman said.
Nobody was injured.
A spokesman for the
SWR
confirmed the incident.
Protests against Corona measures in Germany: Police break up the demonstration in Munich
In numerous other cities, too, people took to the streets under the motto “One year of lockdown policy - it's enough”.
In Munich, a demonstration with around 2500 participants was broken up because conditions * had not been met and the number of participants allowed had been exceeded.
According to the police, around 2000 people demonstrated in Düsseldorf.
The police counted up to 1,000 demonstrators in Berlin, and there were hundreds each in Kiel, Hanover, Erfurt, Cottbus and Potsdam.
(dpa / AFP / frs) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
List of rubric lists: © Swen Pförtner / dpa
