German politicians on Thursday, July 22, warned of disruptive actions by activists hostile to the government's anti-Covid policy, such as the dissemination of fake news, in areas devastated by the floods.
Read also: Germany: floods will cost insurers up to 5 billion euros in damage
"
I can only note with disgust that we are trying to take advantage of the suffering of people
", took offense Günter Krings, parliamentary secretary of state at the Ministry of the Interior in an interview Thursday with the newspaper group RND .
He was referring to the multiplication of calls for donations attributed to the anti-mask scene, motivated by a supposed lack of rescue personnel on the spot or poor coordination by the authorities.
These messages are disseminated via social networks.
A closed reception center for children
The police in Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate, the Land most affected by the floods, had to send a tweet on Thursday in order to deny rumors of a reduction in forces on the ground. According to a report from the Ministry of the Interior obtained by the daily Welt, these actions are aimed "
mainly at undermining confidence in public authorities
". The report therefore recommends sending donations only to official aid organizations.
In addition, the authorities of Rhineland-Palatinate have decided to close a reception center for children suspected of having been set up by members of this movement in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, a town severely affected by the floods.
The reception conditions for the children were "
bad
", the premises dirty, without water or electricity, Detlef Placzek, spokesperson for the regional authorities, told AFP on Thursday.
The environmentalist deputy Konstantin von Notz described as “
shameful
” the actions of the anti-masks on the scene of the disaster.
Read also: Floods: 200 dead in Europe, including 169 in Germany
The anti-masks, a vast heterogeneous movement known as "
free-thinkers
" which brings together both far-right activists and opponents of the vaccine, had organized large demonstrations in Germany, sometimes peppered with violence, at the height of the restrictions aimed at fighting the pandemic. They had been more discreet in recent weeks since the progression of vaccinations and the lifting of restrictions in the face of the decline in new infections.
