2024-01-28 12:26:06
1,500 people demonstrate against right-wing extremism in Bautzen
On January 27, 2024, 1,500 people demonstrated for democracy and humanity on the Bautzen main market. On the sidelines of the event, right-wing extremists tried to disrupt.
A clear sign on the Bautzen main market: 1,500 people demonstrated against right-wing extremism here on Saturday, January 27, 2024. © Christian Essler
Bautzen. Numerous people demonstrated against right-wing extremism in Bautzen on Saturday, January 27, 2024. According to police and organizers, around 1,500 people gathered at the city’s main market in the afternoon. A broad alliance of clubs, unions, initiatives, institutions and city councils called for this under the motto “Together against right-wing extremism – together for humanity and democracy”.
Bautzen demo with speakers from the CDU to the Left
Co-organizer Christian Schäfer from the association, a network for democracy and tolerance in the Bautzen district, was the first to speak out of a total of 14 speakers. “Together we are sending a strong signal today against right-wing radicalism, which is becoming more and more widespread in our society. But we stand here, united and determined to finally put a stop to this dangerous development.”
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Armin Schuster (CDU), the Saxon Interior Minister, was very grateful to the organizers for inviting speakers from left-liberal to conservative. This is “the democratic center” in this country. “We don’t always agree, even on migration policy,” said Schuster. “But that’s called democracy.”
Saxony’s Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) speaks at the main market in Bautzen. © Steffen Unger
Dawid Statnik, the chairman of Domowina, called for people to get involved in society. Bundestag member Caren Lay (Left) called the demonstration an important sign – especially in Bautzen. In no other city have right-wing extremists managed to penetrate so far into the center of society.
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Other speakers included Upper Lusatian Caritas boss Torsten Bognitz, Tilmann Popp, superintendent of the Evangelical Lutheran church district of Bautzen-Kamenz, Jonas Löschau from the queer network and Astrid Riechmann from “Bautzen remains colorful”. They spoke out against right-wing extremism, advocated defending freedom and basic democratic values, but also to stay in conversation with each other, as difficult as that may sometimes be.
Steffen Roschek, the managing director of an internationally operating IT company from Bautzen, was also there. In terms of the economy, Germany will be dependent on foreign employees in the future, he said. If they were treated better somewhere else, they wouldn’t come. He therefore says to right-wing extremists with their aversion to everything that is not German or foreign: “Control this aversion before this aversion controls you and you destroy our country.”
Mayor Karsten Vogt: Bautzen is sending a strong signal
Among the participants were people from Bautzen and Upper Lusatia. These included young families with their children, seniors, young people and adults of all ages. They expressed their opinions with rainbow flags or posters. “Defend democracy. No to the AfD”, “Freedom is an alternative”, “No to hatred and incitement” or “Nazis? We’ve had it before. It was shit!”
Many demonstrators were there with protest posters. © Steffen Unger
The memorial day for the victims of National Socialism on Saturday played an important role in the speeches. Mayor Karsten Vogt (CDU) said that Bautzen was sending a strong signal with the demonstration: “We are standing up against the ideology that is about to put something like this back on the agenda and want to make such things socially acceptable again. We say clearly no to this.”
Disturbances and attacks by right-wing extremists
How important this demonstration is, especially for Bautzen, was also shown during the event. Around 50 people from the right-wing extremist spectrum gathered in the streets and alleys around the main market, including people who regularly take part in the Monday vigil in Bautzen as a so-called youth block.
Bautzen’s mayor Karsten Vogt spoke at the end of the rally. © Steffen Unger
The police were on site with an emergency train and a service group. Nevertheless, according to TV Bunt, there were three attacks on participants in the peaceful event. In one case, a child was kicked, in the second case, a young person was beaten, and in the third incident, the demo participant’s car was stopped as he was leaving and the mirror was kicked off. The police confirmed the incident with the vehicle and are currently not aware of any reports, according to a spokesman.
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