The protest against the security conference in Munich has a long tradition.
But in 2023, a demo with gangs to the lateral thinker scene will have the greatest influx.
Update from February 19, 3:54 p.m .:
Around 20,000 people demonstrated at the security conference in Munich in a total of 22 actions over the weekend.
The police were on duty with a large contingent of 4,500 officers - as they announced on Sunday, the meetings were largely peaceful.
Several demonstrations protested against the Iranian government, and so-called lateral thinkers and opponents of the security conference also gathered.
According to the current state of knowledge, 22 criminal offenses and three administrative offenses had been recorded, the police said in their final balance sheet on Sunday afternoon.
These include dangerous bodily harm, throwing pyrotechnics, assaulting police officers, violations of the assembly law and the use of anti-constitutional symbols.
33 people were temporarily arrested, but all have since been released.
Munich's police vice president Michael Dibowski was satisfied.
"Highly motivated emergency services ensured that safety was guaranteed throughout the weekend for both the population and the conference participants," he explained.
Demonstrations at the Munich Security Conference - 10,000 participants in lateral thinkers demo
Update from February 19, 11:31 a.m
.: The Munich police drew a first conclusion about the meeting events around the 59th Siko.
She registered more than ten meetings in Munich, which were "peaceful and with only minor security disruptions".
With the "security disturbances" the officials probably mean the situation around an AfD meeting.
Update from February 18, 9.40 p.m .:
According to the police, the Siko Saturday with several protest demos was largely peaceful.
However, the security forces reported new, sometimes unexpected numbers of participants during the day.
In the afternoon, a protest march organized by the lateral thinkers scene, among others, started from Königsplatz.
10,000 people took part, according to the Munich police.
According to reports in the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
and the
taz
, the former Left Party member of the Bundestag Dieter Dehm spoke of "Ukrainian killer gangs and Nazi fascists" at the opening rally - and thus took up Russian narratives very directly.
In addition to peace dove and pace flags, Russian-German flag motifs were also on display.
According to Bayerischer Rundfunk, participants in an AfD demo at the Old Botanical Garden also wanted to join this train.
250 people came to this appointment, they faced 300 (unregistered) counter-demonstrators.
According to the police, the groups were separated, among other things, by “immediate coercion by pushing and pressing”.
The organizers from the Corona opponents scene around the alliance "Munich is getting up" had registered 4,000 participants at Königsplatz.
The traditional anti-Siko demo at Stachus had expected the same number.
However, according to the police, only 2,400 people came here at the peak.
Initially there was talk of 1,300 to 1,500 people.
The organizers had explicitly not wanted to do anything in common with the lateral thinkers.
Around 1,000 participants attended a pro-Ukrainian demonstration at Odeonsplatz.
Is the Ukraine war crumbling the Siko protest?
Fewer participants than expected at the traditional demo
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Scene on the sidelines of the anti-Siko demo at Munich's Stachus.
© Florian Naumann
First report from February 18, 3:50 p.m.:
Munich – A few thousand people also demonstrated against the first Munich security conference since the outbreak of the Ukraine war on Saturday afternoon (February 18).
However, the number of participants fell short of the expectations of the organizers - and also behind previous years.
Several protest events were announced, as reported by
tz.de
from Munich.
These included large-scale demonstrations: the traditional demonstration of the “Alliance against the NATO Security Conference” took place on the Stachus.
A few hundred meters to the north-west, the “Munich Stands Up” alliance had called for a meeting – the group had taken to the streets against the corona measures during the pandemic.
Siko protest in Munich: sometimes significantly fewer participants than expected
The police initially counted 1,500 demonstrators at Stachus.
Later spoken by 1,300 participants.
The organizers had assumed 4,000 participants.
That's how many took to the streets in 2019 at the call of a broad alliance against "Siko".
However, this time there was also a protest march and a final rally.
The left-wing member of the Bundestag Sevim Dagdelen had announced that she would be the speaker for this.
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The traditional anti-Siko demo at Munich's Stachus.
© Florian Naumann
A group of people who “benefit from tension and uncertainty” meet at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof, according to a statement read out at the start.
The organizers also criticized a "100 billion new debt package for the Bundeswehr".
On banners, participants demanded "negotiate instead of shooting, disarm instead of arm" or "Ukraine: de-escalate instead of sharpening the enemy image".
However, it also read “Nato, hands off Russia”.
The organizers had forbidden the use of national flags.
However, the Kurdish community was strongly present.
Protests and demos at the security conference in Munich: Corona measures opponents call
According to initial police reports, 2,000 to 3,000 demonstrators gathered on Königsplatz near the opponents of the Corona measures.
The motto of the event was "No to the Munich War Conference".
In the afternoon, however, the Munich police reported 10,000 participants in the subsequent train through Maxvorstadt.
Meanwhile, the group “Women.life.freedom.munich” called to Max-Joseph-Platz.
It was about the "importance of the democratic processes in Iran for security in the Middle East and the world".
3000 to 3500 people were announced.
A meeting at Odeonsplatz, also not far from the Siko conference venue in the Bayerischer Hof, has a somewhat different thrust.
"Together against the war" should read there.
All parties in the Bavarian state parliament are involved - except for the AfD.
Anton Hofreiter (Greens), Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP) and Florian Hahn (CSU) wanted to give speeches.
Countless Ukrainian and EU flags could be seen here, but also the Belarusian flag of the opposition.
On banners, participants demanded "Arm Ukraine Now!", "Arm Ukraine Now!".
Around 4,500 officials from Bavaria and other federal states as well as 300 federal police officers are on duty around the security conference until Sunday.
(
fn with material from dpa
)
