Rights want to pull over the ring
In addition, there were six other registered rallies from left and right, including the far-right party “Freie Sachsen” and the AfD. They joined forces with opponents of vaccination and, after a rally on Augustusplatz, tried to cross the Leipziger Ring – modeled on the Monday demonstrations of 1989. Counter-demonstrators and the police blocked the train, causing the demonstrators to turn around near the main train station.
Police: Potential for violence recognizable
Right-wing demonstrators insulted police officers as traitors. A police spokesman said there were also violent clients who were looking for a confrontation. However, there were only minor clashes.
An MDR reporter reported on an argument on Augustplatz. A participant with a Germany flag and a participant with an Antifa flag clashed. The German flag had been thrown to the ground and broken.
The left attempted to distinguish themselves visually from the right, among other things, with a large banner reading “There is no solidarity from the right”. In their speeches, left-wing politicians also opposed the appropriation of the right. Nevertheless, there were clashes.
On the fringes of the demonstration, a photo reporter documented a kick by the self-proclaimed “people’s teacher” and right-wing extremist Nikolai Nerling. Nerling is a convicted Holocaust denier and anti-Semite. “Before the kick, the other man spat at Nerling. The police observed the scene but did nothing. Nerling was able to continue to take part in the demonstration,” said reporter MDR SACHSEN when asked about his observations.
Right-wingers also speak of “Hot Autumn”
The right-wing extremist “Freien Sachsen” included the former Saxony-Anhalt AfD politician André Poggenburg, “Compact” founder Jürgen Elsässer and the Chemnitz scene activist Martin Kohlmann. AfD leader Tino Chrupalla spoke of an “economic war” by the federal government against Russia – a term also used by former Left Party leader Sahra Wagenknecht. The “Free Saxony” also speak of a “hot autumn” in Saxony on their Telegram channel.
Scheduled demo end in Leipzig without major incidents
At around 9:30 p.m., the police declared the gathering to be over. The participants left. When asked by MDR SACHSEN, Leipzig police spokesman Olaf Hoppe said that working in the city was not easy. According to Hoppe, an attempt was made to separate the different camps and to keep the movement of the elevators separate. According to the current status, there have been no significant incidents, but smaller “scene-typical disputes”. According to a final statement by the police, ten investigations into theft, violation of the assembly law and bodily harm have been initiated.
An MDR reporter also reported on Tuesday night about another attack on the police station in the left-wing district of Connewitz in the south of Leipzig.