First tree house dismantled: Police clear protest camp in Berlin’s Wuhlheide with around 400 forces

• Protest camp in Berlin’s Wuhlheide is cleared by the police
• The assembly authority previously issued a prohibition order
• Protesters have filed an urgent motion against the injunction
  
• Tree squatters have been protesting against the TVO road construction project since Saturday

The police began clearing the protest camp in Wuhlheide in Berlin-Oberschoeneweide early Wednesday morning. She announced this on Twitter.

As a local rbb reporter reported, a first tree house was dismantled in the late morning – four others are still being occupied by demonstrators. Before that, the first protesters had been taken down from the trees “with all caution”. Tents and obstacles have already been removed.

So far, the police operation has been peaceful, it said. It also causes traffic delays. Rudolf-Rühl-Allee is closed in both directions between An der Wuhlheide and Köpenicker Straße.

First, the emergency services on site sent a prohibition order from the assembly authority and asked the protesters via loudspeaker to leave the camp voluntarily, as a police spokesman said.

More than 40 people complied with this request by 9 a.m. All others received place references and would have to expect a report of an administrative offense, it said. “All those present are given the opportunity to leave the camp promptly and unmolested before the police take action,” the police said at the beginning of the operation.

Around 400 emergency services have been on site since 6 a.m., it said. How many protesters are still in Wuhlheide is difficult to estimate due to the confusing situation. There was talk of around 100 people in tree houses and tents.

Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) has assured the police of his “full support”. He also emphasized this “in view of the possible dangers posed by the occupation,” as Wegner told the DPA news agency on Wednesday morning. “The police have carefully weighed up this decision and made it with caution. In Berlin there are laws and rules that everyone must comply with. This coalition will continue to enforce the law,” said Wegner.

Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD) also justified the clearing of the camp. “What we see there differs to a large extent from the peaceful character of an assembly. The protest camp, with its barricades and the excavations that are almost reminiscent of pitfalls, as well as the resulting dangers, is geared towards longer-term resistance,” said Spranger on Wednesday morning dpa with.

“The people who can also be assigned to the radical spectrum wear disguises as far as possible,” Spranger continued: “From my perspective, the disbanding by the Berlin police is an important step, because freedom of assembly is not a cover for radical protest.”

An activist, who asked to remain anonymous, told the DPA during the eviction that the group felt they had been treated unfairly. “That is not appropriate.” They had made an urgent entry via a lawyer against the disposal, which was therefore not waited for. It is incomprehensible that the eviction had begun before then. It must be possible to comply with the requirements, the group wanted that, according to the activist.

The Berlin left-wing politician Ferat Kocak also announced on Twitter that the evacuation of Wuhlheide was “not legal”. He believes the police are violating the right to assembly. The judge for an urgent lawsuit could not be reached early in the morning, Kocak continued.

According to the police, the protest camp has been banned by the assembly authorities. This ban applies until the end of September.

This happened because the protesters dug trenches and set up pointed sticks, among other things. This is a danger for bystanders. In addition, rescue workers could no longer use the paths.

A coordination between the protesters and the assembly authority in the run-up to the assembly, as is usually the case, did not take place. The spokesman stated that the behavior of the people in the protest camp in the past few days had not shown any willingness to cooperate with the police.

The tree squatters, who describe themselves as queer-feminist activists, have been protesting since Saturday evening under the motto “Wuhli stays” for the plans for the “Tangentiale Verbindungs ​​Ost” (TVO). The road is supposed to connect Märkische Allee (B158) with Spindlersfelder Strasse.

A plan approval procedure for the road construction project is planned for this year.

Show: rbb24 evening show, May 17th, 2023, 7:30 p.m