Wednesday, September 8th, 2021
Process start in Dresden
Left-wing extremists are said to have attacked the right
They hit their opponents with batons and fists and jumped them in the back with the exclamation of “Nazi pig”: A group of suspected left-wing extremists must answer in court. The focus of the investigation is student Lina E.
A militant left-wing extremist group from Leipzig is said to have attacked and beaten up people from the right-wing scene between 2018 and 2020. The trial of four alleged members began at the Dresden Higher Regional Court (OLG). According to the indictment, they were ideologically motivated, organized and acted brutally. Federal Prosecutor Bodo Vogler said the aim of the association “was and is” to attack actual and alleged members of the right-wing scene and to injure them with striking tools.
According to the prosecution, the student Lina E. led the command in at least two cases and prepared the attacks in Leipzig, Wurzen and Eisenach. The 26-year-old, a man of the same age and a 36-year-old from Leipzig and a 26-year-old from Berlin are charged with membership in a criminal organization, serious breach of the peace, dangerous bodily harm and, in some cases, property damage.
The association, which was founded “in and around Leipzig” in August 2018 at the latest, was based on “a militant left-wing extremist ideology” and was aimed at committing politically motivated crimes, said Vogler. Its members rejected the existing democratic constitutional state as well as the state monopoly on the use of force. Lina E. assumed “a prominent position” from the start, actively prepared actions and, by spying on the environment, was also involved in the selection of the victims.
A total of 13 people were injured in six attacks
The student from Kassel in Hesse has been in custody since the beginning of November 2020, the three men not. According to the indictment, E. also held cell phones, partly anonymized SIM cards and tools. Her longtime partner, who was persecuted separately, provided reinforcements for the group in the event of acts of violence and was even present in attacks. It is about six attacks, each of which was carried out in excess. A total of 13 people were injured, two of them potentially life-threatening.
According to the indictment, a victim was jumped in the back, strangled, beaten with fists and telescopic bats. In another case, E. is said to have prevented those present from helping someone who was already unconscious by hitting the head and trunk. The landlord of a right-wing trendy bar in Eisenach was attacked with a hammer, wheel wrench and rods. The attack in December 2019 triggered the investigation, which the Attorney General later took over.
The chairman of the State Security Senate, Hans Schlueter-Staats, spoke of “serious allegations” and “serious crimes of bodily harm”. Disputes over, among other things, the defense attorney’s claim that the files were incomplete had delayed the start of the hearing. The lawyers accused the court of harassment and unfair treatment. The judge deferred a request for bias against the presiding judge.
Protesters show solidarity with the accused
In front of the building, dozens of demonstrators expressed their solidarity with the accused. When Lina E. and her co-defendants came into the hall, they were greeted with loud applause and hoots from supporters in the audience. In a joint statement, all defense lawyers initially questioned the competence of the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (GBA) as the prosecutor’s office. The allegations are individual disputes and not an attack on the state. There could be no question of a criminal organization.
For the GBA, the process is an “experiment” as to how far paragraph 129 can go. She herself had to admit that she was not aware of either the date the association was founded or the circumstances in which it was founded. “The federal prosecutor’s office does not have enough evidence for an association,” said a defense attorney. In addition, the lawyers complained that negotiations were taking place in a high-security room that was created for trials with suspected terrorism.
The nature of the procedure brings her clients close to terrorists. Another criticism concerned the fact that documents, documents and personal data had been launched to the media before the start of the process, including the “Compact Magazine”, which is popular in the right-wing scene. The charge is not the end result of an investigation, but results from a request by the GBA. “What does not fit, will be made to fit. As of now – I fear – a fair trial is not to be expected,” said one of the lawyers.
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