protest in front of his house
Geras Mayor: “I never want to experience anything like this again”
01/19/2022, 8:56 p.m
In Gera, Thuringia, an unannounced demonstration marches past the mayor’s house. For his family in particular, it was “not a nice situation,” reports the politician, who also criticizes the police.
Hundreds of opponents of the Corona measures loudly marched past the home of Geras Mayor Julian Vonarb during an unannounced protest on Tuesday evening. “I was at home with my family. It was very loud, it felt like a very heated atmosphere, and it wasn’t a nice situation, especially for my wife and children,” said Vonarb in Gera. A red line had been crossed.
According to the police, around 1,200 people passed through Gera. According to Vonarb, they also passed his private address. When asked whether he felt acutely threatened on Tuesday evening, Vonarb replied: “The police were there, but not in proportion to the number of demonstrators.” If there are group dynamics in such a situation, something could always happen. “Whether it would have happened then or not: I never want to experience anything like that again.” But he won’t be intimidated, he stressed.
Thuringia’s Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow wrote on Twitter that visiting politicians at home and thus marking their home and private sphere was nothing more than intimidation. “No one can talk their way out of it and claim they just got lost.” The Gera SPD member of the Bundestag Elisabeth Kaiser condemned the march and declared: “This behavior is a disgrace to our city and will further damage its reputation.” Thuringia’s Environment Minister Anja Siegesmund also called the process “absolutely unacceptable”.
The case is reminiscent of a demonstration in front of the home of Saxony’s Minister of Health, Petra Köpping, in early December. Around 30 opponents of the Corona policy demonstrated there, carrying torches and posters. A meeting was also called in front of the home of Thuringia’s interior minister Georg Maier in December – but nobody appeared on site, the police had protected the house.
Police report
The police are currently dealing with a video shared on social networks that is said to have been created in Gera on Monday. It shows how several police officers fix a man on the ground. After a few minutes he lies motionless on the ground. According to the police, around 3,500 opponents of the corona measures passed through Gera on Monday. The video shows the use of direct force against the man, said a police spokesman.
According to the information, a 52-year-old had physically attacked a riot police officer. According to the police, he is said to have tried to snatch the baton from an officer. By exercising direct force against the man, the 52-year-old was briefly unconscious. As a result, first aid was provided immediately and the man was then taken to the hospital for a medical assessment. A third person then filed a complaint against the officials on Tuesday. The investigation was said to be ongoing. A police spokesman said that the 52-year-old was also being investigated.
Vonarb said he expects police to investigate Monday’s events – which appear to have sparked Tuesday’s protests. “And I also know that they will.” It is now important to look ahead. He wants to set up a discussion format with the organizers of the Corona protests in Gera at short notice, which is to be publicly streamed.
Calls for protests in Gera in front of the hall where the city council was to meet in the evening were circulating for Wednesday evening. Around 100 people then gathered in front of the culture and congress center. When a march wanted to start moving, the police stopped it. As a dpa reporter observed, people then left the square alone or in small groups. The mood remained peaceful.
According to the police, the identities of twelve people were determined. They received a complaint about violations of the assembly law. The local officials filed a criminal complaint against a man for not registering a meeting, as the state police inspectorate in Gera announced.