Escalation in Berlin: police use water cannons against crown protesters

Opponents of state rules to contain the crown pandemic in Germany rallied by the thousands in the Berlin government district and ignored police announcements. The police used water cannons, which is very unusual in Berlin.

Police tweeted about “spray mist”. On the sidelines of the protests, which began shortly before the Bundestag debate on protecting the population in times of pandemics, isolated disputes between emergency services and demonstrators took place in the German capital.

At the Brandenburg Gate, police said a demonstration with several thousand attendees would end at noon after protesters failed to respond to requests to maintain distance and mouth and nose protection rules. Then the police tried – largely in vain – to keep the crowd away.

Police announced on Twitter that the emergency services “were hit with bottles, stones and firecrackers and attacked with pepper spray. For their part, they used physical coercion and pepper spray and arrested some of the attackers. “

The federal interior ministry had banned several demonstrations recorded directly in front of the Reichstag building in the so-called peaceful quarter, with reference to a possible compromise of parliamentary work. State measures to protect the population from the pandemic were discussed in the plenary session of the Bundestag at noon. The police therefore largely isolated the area.

Some of the protesters between the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag building in Berlin were in an aggressive mood and some of them were dancing. Many of them also protested with whistles. The police turned people away, as one reporter described. A total of 2,000 police officers were deployed, including support from nine other federal states and the federal police.

Berlin police chief Barbara Slowik announced that she would apply the crown rules to demonstrations by all means permitted. “We will do everything in our power not to allow meetings without mouth and nose protection.” If so, the police will fix it as soon as possible. Situations like a week ago in Leipzig or in August before the Reichstag should be avoided at all costs. “We must and must think of different measures than usual”. The goal is to curb the spread of the virus.

Bundestag AfD member Karsten Hilse came into contact with police on the sidelines of the protests. Hilse said in a video that was circulated by members of his group that he was accosted by police because he was walking without a mask. He had brought with him a medical certificate which exempted him from the mask requirement. However, the police complained that no specific disease was listed.

Internal political spokesperson for the FDP parliamentary group, Konstantin Kuhle, wrote on Twitter: “The AfD smuggled people into the Reichstag building, harassing parliamentarians and holding cell phone cameras in the face. I find these attempts to influence voting behavior absolutely unheard of. This should be avoided. “