There will be a large number of demonstrations in Berlin over Pentecost. Two large events were banned by the police – now the Higher Administrative Court has decided to do so.
Berlin (AP) – Two planned large demonstrations by opponents of the Corona policy on the Whitsun weekend in Berlin remain prohibited. After the administrative court, the Higher Administrative Court (OVG) Berlin-Brandenburg also confirmed the ban.
The negative experiences from the recent past with the expected group of participants from the “lateral thinker scene” justify the assumption that the necessary hygiene measures are not being observed in the prominent locations of the city, according to the OVG. The resolutions are final.
The demonstrations had been registered with the title “For Peace, Freedom and Fundamental Rights” and each had 16,000 participants. The police had banned a number of demonstrations over the weekend of Pentecost on the grounds that previous rallies had shown that the demonstrators would deliberately ignore the prescribed masks and distances. All bans have been confirmed by both courts.
Regardless of the court decision, the police are planning a large-scale operation with around 3,000 police officers on the weekend. Support comes from other federal states and from the federal police. One must also be prepared for the fact that demonstrators would not adhere to the bans, it said.
On Friday evening, demonstrators protested against the anti-corona measures with car parades. According to the police, hundreds of cars were on their way towards Charlottenburg, and there were also counter-protests. The demonstrators at Theodor-Heuss-Platz raised the mood against vaccination and the “Corona dictatorship”.
A demonstration by Palestinian groups with 2,000 participants in Kreuzberg was also banned. However, two further demonstrations on the Israel-Palestinian conflict have been registered. The larger of the two, a “protest rally against the Israeli aggression in Palestine”, is to move with 2000 participants from Alexanderplatz to Potsdamer Platz.
A large demonstration “Against Rent Insanity” with 10,000 participants from Potsdamer Platz to Schöneberg is also planned. In addition, a bicycle demonstration is directed against the further construction of the A100 motorway.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210522-99-698352 / 4
