limited right of assembly
Left-wing extremists are preparing for “Day X” in Leipzig
5/30/2023 6:33 p.m
Lina E. is said to have beaten up people from the right-wing scene. The verdict against her is expected to be announced this week. At the weekend, supporters from the left-wing extremist scene therefore want to gather for “Day X” in Leipzig – the police are preparing for the largest operation in two years.
The police are expecting the largest police operation in two years for the left-wing autonomous “Day X” in Leipzig next Saturday. Since there are also calls for militancy and massive announcements of violence, the police are “preparing for an action that is sometimes unpeaceful with a high potential for damage,” said the Leipzig police department. In addition to the expected actions of the left, there are also major events in Leipzig such as the city festival and a concert by Herbert Grönemeyer.
“Day X” is the Saturday after the verdict in the Dresden left-wing extremism trial against the student Lina E. and three co-defendants. They are accused of attacking suspected neo-Nazis and forming a criminal organization. The verdict is to be spoken on Wednesday after almost 100 days of negotiations. The left-wing scene has been mobilizing in Leipzig for “Day X” for a long time, according to the police, in some cases even across Europe. “Prepare yourselves well and come to Leipzig – together we will take our solidarity to the streets,” says the appeal on the Internet and on social networks.
Faeser warns against acts of violence
At the end of the trial against Lina E., the violent left-wing extremist scene was under special observation. The federal and state security authorities will “focus on them in the coming days and weeks and will intervene consistently if criminal and violent crimes occur,” said Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser to the editorial network Germany (RND). The federal police will support the Saxon police in particular “with strong forces”. The criminal proceedings have been well received since the main suspects were arrested in 2020, said Faeser, who warned of acts of violence by Lina E.’s supporters in view of the verdict.
“The spiral of radicalization and violence in left-wing extremist groups must not continue,” said Faeser. “Here, the inhibitions to attack political opponents with the utmost brutality have dropped.” In a democratic constitutional state, there should be no room for vigilantism, regardless of who initiated it. “No goal justifies political violence.”
Leipzig restricts the right of assembly
Against the background of the so-called “Day X”, the city of Leipzig has restricted the right of assembly for the coming weekend. According to the general decree, open-air public meetings that relate to the process or the accused and have not been reported to the meeting authority by midnight on May 31 are prohibited and participation in them, the municipality announced. This was also published in the electronic Official Journal.
The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (GBA) accuses the 28-year-old Lina E. and the three men aged 28 and 37 of allegedly or actually brutally beating up people from the right-wing scene in Leipzig, Wurzen and Eisenach between 2018 and 2020. They are also accused of forming a criminal organization, which the student is believed to be the head of. According to the indictment, 13 people were injured, two of them potentially life-threatening. The process began in September 2021.