Saturday, August 28, 2021
Update
Despite a ban on several elevators
Thousands move through Berlin at Corona demos
The Berlin police are banning nine demonstrations as they assume that the corona rules will be broken. Only one meeting is allowed. Yet thousands gather in different places in the capital. There are clashes and dozens of arrests.
Despite the ban on some events, according to police, thousands of demonstrators have gathered in Berlin to protest against the Corona policy. More than 50 preliminary arrests were made by early evening. The police accompanied the individual trains and, according to their own statements, repeatedly pulled ringleaders out of the groups. There were some attacks on emergency services, and according to information so far, a police officer was injured.
At the Lessing Bridge between the districts of Tiergarten and Moabit, demonstrators also tried to break through a police cordon, according to the emergency services. But this could also be prevented by using pepper spray. The RBB reported on tumultuous scenes and scuffles.
The “Tagesspiegel” writes that there have been several unannounced protest marches. Demonstrators moved through the districts of Mitte and Tiergarten, among other places. The “Berliner Zeitung” reports that a train in Moabit has grown to around 3000 participants. Before that, there was a demo in Mitte with almost 1000 participants.
The association “Jewish Forum for Democracy and Against Anti-Semitism” tweeted, “We were massively harassed by participants in a ‘Die Basis’ rally on Leipziger Platz and had to stop work”. The police said they could not protect them because they were too few officers. “It is getting harder and harder for the press to think outside the box,” it said.
After several bans on individual gatherings, according to eyewitnesses, a large number of them walked aimlessly through the streets at the beginning. Initially, individual groups moved through the Friedrichshain district. The vast majority of the people were out and about without masks or other protective measures.
2000 officers on duty
In the neighboring district of Prenzlauer Berg, the protesters tried again and again to join a “train of love” to which around 10,000 people were expected to listen to house and techno music. The police prevented this with barriers. Police helicopters were used to observe the confusing scenery, and large parts of the government district were cordoned off.
Despite numerous bans on demonstrations, the police had prepared themselves for larger operations. According to the company, around 2000 workers were available, including support from Baden-Württemberg, Lower Saxony, Bavaria and Saxony.
Nine demonstrations had been banned by the police, including rallies of the “Initiative Lateral Thinking” on the Straße des 17. Juni. The administrative court rejected three urgent motions against the bans, and they granted one: A meeting with 500 expected participants each, registered for this Saturday and Sunday, was allowed to take place. This event was then referred to via the social network Telegram.
At the beginning of August, thousands of people demonstrated against the corona measures in the capital despite the ban. The police spoke of more than 5000 participants at the time. There were also attacks on emergency services and a union representative. Hundreds of people were arrested.
A year ago, on August 29, 2020, tens of thousands protested against the corona restrictions in Berlin. Demonstrators broke through a cordon on the Reichstag building, harassed the outnumbered security guards and occupied a staircase in front of an entrance for some time. The pictures of it triggered widespread outrage and also caused a sensation internationally.
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