Ministry: Monday walks in truth demonstrations
Created: 01/12/2022, 2:57 PM
Numerous people have gathered to demonstrate against the Corona measures.
© Malte Krudewig / Malte Krudewig / dpa / dpa / archive image
The so-called Monday walks, allegedly spontaneous protests against the Corona measures, are, in the opinion of the North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Ministry, to be treated like normal demonstrations.
This emerges from a legal assessment by the ministry, which was sent as a guideline to all police authorities in the country.
This means that the protest marches - if not registered - are punishable.
Düsseldorf - According to Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU), however, the elevators cannot easily be dissolved.
"The current Monday walks are to be qualified as an assembly," it says in the letter from the Ministry to the police authorities, which is available to the German Press Agency. Even if it is allegedly only “regular private walks with friends and acquaintances”, the political character predominates. The fact that no posters are waved or chants chanted during the protest does not change that. In addition, the supposed walks are seldom spontaneous - they are arranged via the Telegram messenger service.
Interior Minister Reul told the “WAZ” on Wednesday that the protest marches could not simply be broken up: the violation of the obligation to register a meeting is punishable, but alone is not enough to end a demonstration.
The Federal Constitutional Court had already made this clear in the 1980s in connection with the protests against the Brokdorf nuclear power plant.
"A dissolution is only permissible if public safety is in direct danger, for example if there is an escalation of violence and if there is no milder means," said Reul.
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Nevertheless, the local police authorities write a complaint for every alleged walk that is not reported.
If no ringleader is recognizable, against unknown people.
dpa