Riots in Leipzig: Police Encircle Demonstrators and Make Arrests

2023-06-04 02:43:17

IIn Leipzig, the police surrounded demonstrators until the early hours of the morning. This was announced by a spokesman for the Leipzig police on Sunday morning. On Saturday evening, the police had started taking personal details. A total of an estimated 500 people were encircled, it said. In order to establish identities, demonstrators were also brought to the police station.

The police had previously spoken of “massive riots” in the south of Leipzig after violent clashes at a demonstration. Around 1,500 participants took part in the demonstration on Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse, police spokesman Olaf Hoppe said in a video statement on Saturday evening. “Including, in our estimation, a third of them inclined to violence or seeking violence.” Initially, 1000 participants were mentioned – 100 were registered.

According to observations by WELT reporters, there were isolated clashes between demonstrators and the police at Alexis-Schumann-Platz. Among other things, officers rounded up a group of rioters to establish their identities. Some also tried to evade the identity check – among other things by complaining about circulatory problems.

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Police deployed ten water cannons on either side of the square. “The situation on Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse is becoming unsettling. Our forces are repeatedly attacked and pelted with stones/pyrotechnics,” the police previously wrote on Twitter. One appeals to all people there to distance themselves from criminals and to behave peacefully. “Bystanders are asked to leave or avoid the area.”

In the early evening, the demonstrators clashed with the police

Source: AFP/JENS SCHLUETER

Autonomous at a burning barricade

Autonomous at a burning barricade

Source: dpa/Sebastian Willnow

According to reporters, there were gun salutes; Stones, bottles and an incendiary device were thrown at police officers. Physical clashes broke out between small groups of demonstrators and police officers. The police were on site with a large contingent from several federal states, and a police helicopter was circling over the square. The officials initially did not let the participants run and demanded that masks be removed.

According to police reports, several hundred riot police gathered in the south of the city late on Saturday evening. They were prepared for a “violent course” in this phase of the mission, it said. Barricades were set on fire in several places, and the police spoke of “riots of apparently violent people” at various locations in the district. The police called for prudence so as not to allow the situation to escalate any further.

Stones were thrown at the police station at Connewitzer Kreuz

At least two barricades made of garbage cans and pallets burned in Leipzig-Connewitz. The reported dpa reporter. There were also pyrotechnics and firecrackers on Wolfgang-Heinze-Strasse. Masked people kept throwing new wood into the fire. Police were on site – and shortly before 11 p.m. they began to extinguish the barricades with water cannons.

According to the police, around 300 people from the violent left-wing scene gathered at the Connewitzer Kreuz in the evening. Stones were thrown at the police station at the Wiedebachpassage. According to the police, two officers who were guarding the object were injured. Barricades were set on fire at various locations in the district. Photos by a dpa reporter show damaged windows and cobblestones lying around. Emergency services would be drawn together there, it said. Water cannons were also deployed.

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A magistrate issued five arrest warrants by the evening. This was announced by a police spokeswoman on request. Five men between the ages of 20 and 32 were affected. You took part in the demonstration at Alexis-Schumann-Platz. According to the spokeswoman, they are accused of breaching the peace.

The city of Leipzig had banned the originally planned “Day X” demonstration because of the high risk potential. The background was threats of violence in social networks, the risk forecast by the police and assessments by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Complaints against this were also rejected by the administrative court in Leipzig and the higher administrative court in Bautzen.

The demonstrators have a clear ban on going out, which the police pointed out in the early evening

The demonstrators have a clear ban on going out, which the police pointed out in the early evening

Source: Wolfgang Büscher

After the verdict against the alleged left-wing extremist Lina E., the left-wing scene mobilized nationwide for the solidarity demonstration on Saturday under the motto “United we stand – despite everything, defend autonomous anti-fascism!”. Left-wing autonomists threatened to cause one million euros in property damage for every year of imprisonment imposed on E.

Police checked travelers to Leipzig for pyrotechnics

In the afternoon, the police checked people entering the country, including at train stations. A spokeswoman told WELT: “If someone has pyrotechnics or masking material with them, i.e. comes to Leipzig with unpeaceful intentions, we can issue a ban on staying and entering.” Depending on the situation, the platform is checked briefly. If there are clues in the luggage, the person will then be taken to the police vehicles.

The police check train passengers who get off in Leipzig

The police check train passengers who get off in Leipzig

Source: Wolfgang Büscher

The city is also celebrating its 1000th anniversary this weekend with numerous events. On Saturday, singer Herbert Grönemeyer also performed in Leipzig, and 1. FC Lok Leipzig and Chemnitzer FC were in the final of the Saxony Cup.

Leipzig central station control

Again and again some of those controlled are led to the waiting police cars

Source: Wolfgang Büscher

Several vehicles and garbage cans were on fire early Saturday afternoon. A police spokeswoman spoke of a single-digit number of fires, especially in the south and south-west of the city. During the night, riots caused considerable damage. At the top, around 700 people had gathered in the south of Leipzig. From smaller groups, emergency services were thrown at various places, in individual cases also from roofs. Barricades were built and fires lit.

As things stand, the police have recorded 23 slightly injured police officers and 17 damaged emergency vehicles. Several vehicles owned by bystanders were also set on fire and damaged. In addition, a high five-digit sum was damaged at a Sparkasse branch on Zweinaundorfer Straße.

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Green bosses Ricarda Lang and Omid Nouripour (middle), political editor Johannes Wiedemann

Lina E. was sentenced to five years and three months in prison on Wednesday for violent attacks on right-wing extremists. Since the verdict is not yet final, she was initially released after two and a half years in custody. The three co-defendants, aged 28 to 37, received prison sentences of between two years and five months and three years and three months for belonging to or supporting a criminal organization.


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