According to the police, around 1000 people tried on Wednesday evening in downtown Munich to protest against city regulations, security measures and protection against infection. Just as many police officers prevented this from happening. According to an initial assessment of the police headquarters during the night, more than a hundred violations of the general municipal decree were reported. Participants in the banned rallies committed a dozen crimes, including four acts of resistance, one police officer was assaulted and slightly injured, and two officers were insulted by demonstrators. A knife and an animal repellent spray were seized, and two people were reported who called for prohibited gatherings.
The fact that the number of participants again fell significantly and, in particular, apparently many opponents of vaccinations from the near and far surrounding area did not even leave for Munich, was not only due to urban bans and the consistent intervention of the police, but also to discrepancies within the group “Munich stands up”. Spokesman Melchior Ibing had caused severe irritation in the Telegram group with a video that he published on Wednesday lunchtime. The up to now driving force of the campaign “Munich stands up” seemed quite powerless when he canceled his demonstration against the pandemic measures originally announced for Geschwister-Scholl-Platz. The rally had been moved to Theresienwiese by the district administration department (KVR). But Ibing had always rejected it as a meeting place – because, in his opinion, you don’t get enough attention there.
In addition to the canceled rally of “Munich stands up”, a few other demonstrations that were directed against the government’s corona policy were registered for the evening. The KVR had brought them all together and also sent them to Theresienwiese. About 120 demonstrators gathered there in the evening – with masks and distance. The alliance “Children stand up” built loudspeakers and spotlights on Matthias-Pschorr-Straße, the axis between Bavaria and Bavariaring.
There was a demonstration on the Theresienwiese – at a distance and with masks.
(Photo: Robert Haas / SZ)
Ibing had said to the supporters of his movement in a first version of his video, which was later taken off the Internet: “You can go to the meetings on Theresienwiese if you like. Otherwise you can stay at home, relax today, Kraft refuel. ” That sounded more like “Munich is lying down”, thought numerous members of the group. “The state won in Munich,” summed up one. Several anti-vaccination opponents from the surrounding area announced that they would not come to Munich under these circumstances.
The police repeatedly cordon off sections, form chains and make announcements
There were actually significantly fewer protesters than in the previous weeks. In the pedestrian zone, groups of people marched through Kaufingerstrasse – but it was difficult for the police to make out whether they were so-called “strollers” or simply passers-by. It blocked off sections again and again, formed chains, made announcements. Protesters shouted “freedom” and blew whistles. Among the demonstrators were right-wing extremists from the neo-Nazi Third Way party and, according to observers, also the Identitarians. At around 8 p.m., the police broke up the gathering with announcements and began taking down the personal details of about 100 people.
Several videos distributed on Twitter also showed a gathering of people in the area of Gärtnerplatz. The police arrested around 10 demonstrators in Corneliusstrasse. Also in Ludwigstrasse near the university, where the Munich police were on duty. The police reacted immediately to attempts to form a demonstration and sealed off Ludwigstrasse south of the Altstadtring with strong forces.
The protests had already been contained in the past two weeks after the demonstrators broke ground on the streets of the city center shortly before Christmas. “We have to be prepared for these ‘strollers’ to be in the pedestrian zone again”, police spokesman Andreas Franken said in the afternoon, “but we hope that there is less going on.” That’s how it turned out.
About 200 people at the counter-demonstration
According to the police, around 200 people gathered at a counter-demonstration by the alliance “Munich in solidarity”, which took place on Odeonsplatz. Everyone wore masks and sometimes kept very large distances.
Counter-demonstrators on Odeonsplatz
(Photo: Robert Haas / SZ)
He also speaks for those who have lost their lives fighting a virus that others are playing down, said a male nurse. “Demonstrating is also possible with reason and consideration.” He saw people die – for conspiracy ideologues that is no obstacle to spreading their nonsense. They are a pathetic minority. “We are reason, we are in solidarity.”