Demos, walks, fantasy schools – the “lateral thinker” scene initially acted manageably in 2021, but has been mobilizing more strongly since the debate about compulsory vaccinations.
In January, for example, there were 180 participants at a “rally for physical integrity” in Kempten or 60 at the “Walk for Freedom” in Bamberg, in February 100 people took to the streets in Waldkirchen against the alleged “hygiene dictatorship”. It went on like this in the first half of 2021:
Although far stricter measures applied to the broader population in the third wave of pandemics than later in the year, corona demos, “lateral thinkers” and actions by right-wing extremists in Bavaria were the exception, major events were the exception. Overall, the authorities registered a manageable protest scene, as a list from the Interior Ministry showed in May when the SPD asked for it. Then came the summer, with a relaxed infection situation and the election campaign, which made Corona almost a secondary aspect.
The debate about compulsory vaccination and new rules such as 2G with disadvantages for unvaccinated people have given food to the protests again. In December, the police had to deal with large demonstrations such as in Schweinfurt and Nuremberg. In addition, supposed “walks” flourish in dozens of places: a trick to bypass the registration of events and requirements. This is dangerous because some of the “walks” swelled quickly or escalated into violence – dangerous for public safety and because of the looming omicron wave.
The state recently opposed this with the presence of the police and orders against mobile protests. “Lateral thinkers” can mobilize with compulsory vaccination, but many decentralized “walks” make the protest appear bigger than it actually is. Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) said of the classification: “With a vaccination rate of 70 to 80 percent, it is very clear that the majority of the population are not opposed to vaccinations.”
In 2021, “lateral thinkers” also caused a sensation in the education sector. Like an illegal school in the Rosenheim district in mid-September: There, a teacher on sick leave was teaching multitudes of children on what was supposed to be Russian soil on an abandoned farm. This was possible because at the time they could still be exempted from classroom teaching due to the compulsory test.
In order to put a stop to this, the Ministry of Education had to dig deep into the legal repertoire from now on. From October on, test refusers were considered truants, at least one student was thrown from school as a result. As a result, fantasy schools increasingly turned into “learning groups” – they are not subject to any authorization.
The driving force behind it was a magician who, with his club, rounded up doubting parents on Telegram. Wherever possible, the Free State is now not very squeamish about its own staff. In December, he suspended a teacher from duty who refused to wear a mask to school. Not an isolated case: more than a dozen similar proceedings are in progress.