"The monopoly on the use of force lies with the state!": Shards swept up after "Day X" in Leipzig

Police officers take action against a left-wing demonstration in Leipzig. © IMAGO

The verdict against Lina E. draws wider circles: First there are riots of left-wing radical groups in Leipzig, now various politicians speak out.

Leipzig – In the wake of the trial of the left-wing extremist Lina E. and her accomplices, left-wing radical groups had called for "Day X" and demonstrations in Leipzig. After the verdict against Lina E. for left-wing extremist acts of violence, there were renewed clashes between police and demonstrators in Leipzig on Sunday night (4 June). The police were deployed with a large contingent, helicopters circled over the city, barricades burned in several places in the Connewitz district.

There had already been riots on Saturday afternoon. By late evening, five arrest warrants had been issued, and the men, aged between 20 and 32, were accused of breach of the peace. In the late afternoon, stones, bottles and an incendiary device were thrown at police officers at a demonstration in the south of Leipzig. Several officers were injured. The police surrounded some of the demonstrators and spoke of "massive riots".

"Day X" in Leipzig: Probably 500 violent people demonstrate in Leipzig

According to the police, around 1500 participants had gathered for the demonstration, a third of whom were said to be violent. 100 demonstrators were registered. Several water cannons were deployed, but were not used. According to a police spokeswoman on Sunday morning, an estimated 1000,<> people were encircled to establish their identities. Initially, she did not provide precise information on the duration of the identity checks.

The Left Party criticized the actions of the police. For example, its parliamentary secretary in the Saxon state parliament, Marco Böhme, accused the police on Twitter of having escalated the situation through the "de facto ban".

He also criticized the fact that some of the encircled people were stuck for hours. The police said that all affected persons would be cared for. There is also the possibility of using a mobile toilet. Sebastian Fischer, a member of the CDU state parliament, defended the operation: "The monopoly on the use of force lies with the state! Those who commit violence feel the consequences," the politician said via Twitter.

Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer, who had visited the situation center with Interior Minister Armin Schuster (both CDU) in the afternoon, thanked the police for their efforts. "The goal is to protect people and property and to arrest violent offenders," said the CDU politician in the afternoon via Twitter.

"Day X" in Leipzig: Demonstrators probably throw stones at police station

According to the Bild newspaper, demonstrators also attacked a police station. It was a police station in the Wiedebach-Passage, which was repeatedly pelted with stones. The area is also located in Connewitz and has been attacked again and again in the past.

In the end, it probably took ten hours. It was not until the early morning hours of Sunday that the last demonstrators were released, as the Bild newspaper reports. In the end, there were still about 40 demonstrators who were in "identification treatment", i.e. gave up their personal details. (dpa/lp)