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More riots in the night in Leipzig

2023-06-04T06:30:47.524Z

Highlights: Left-wing radical groups had called for a demonstration in Leipzig. Saturday was initially largely peaceful, before the situation escalated again in the evening. Police were deployed with a large contingent, helicopters circled over the city, barricades burned in several places in the Connewitz district. By late evening, five arrest warrants had been issued, and the men, aged between 20 and 32, were accused of breach of the peace. The Left Party criticized the actions of the police, but Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer thanked the police for their efforts.


For the "Day X", left-wing radical groups had called for a demonstration in Leipzig. Saturday was initially largely peaceful, before the situation escalated again in the evening.


For the "Day X", left-wing radical groups had called for a demonstration in Leipzig. Saturday was initially largely peaceful, before the situation escalated again in the evening.

Leipzig - After the verdict against Lina E. for left-wing extremist acts of violence, there were again clashes between police and demonstrators in Leipzig on Sunday night. 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". 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 spokesman, an estimated 500 people were encircled. In the evening, the personal details of the encircled persons began to be recorded. In the early hours of the morning, the police detained the demonstrators.

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.

In left-wing circles, there had been nationwide mobilization for the demonstration on Saturday. The occasion was the verdict against Lina E. and three co-defendants for attacks on alleged or actual neo-Nazis, in which several people had been injured, some seriously. The 28-year-old was sentenced to five years and three months in prison by the Dresden Higher Regional Court on Wednesday.

Until Saturday afternoon, the situation had remained peaceful. Despite the final ban on a large "Day X" demonstration of the left-wing radical scene, the police were present in the city with a large contingent. In addition, the Saxon Cup final, the city festival and a concert by Herbert Grönemeyer took place in the city. There were checkpoints on access roads to the city as well as at the train station all day.

Early Saturday afternoon, several vehicles and garbage cans were on fire. Later in the evening, as darkness fell, the protest moved to Connewitz. There, numerous barricades burned in various places, some of which were extinguished with water cannons. Several hundred masked people played a cat-and-mouse game with the police in the district. Stones flew at the local police station at the Wiedebachpassage, torn out cobblestones lay around. According to police, two officers who were guarding the object were injured. According to their own statements, the police pulled together several hundred people in the area around the Connewitzer Kreuz.

In the district in the south of Leipzig, the "Day X" demonstration was supposed to take place on Saturday afternoon. However, the city of Leipzig had banned them because there was a fear of an unpeaceful course. Several courts upheld the bans. Dpa

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2023-06-04

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