According to the Bavarian Minister of the Interior, Joachim Hermann, the next G-7 summit in Germany should take place in another federal state. “We didn’t apply,” said the CSU politician on Tuesday after the meeting of the major democratic economic powers at Schloss Elmau. “We expect it to take place somewhere else next time.”
The federal government had hosted the G-7 summit for the second time after 2015 in the luxury hotel in Upper Bavaria. Herrmann defended the scope of the police operation. The up to 18,000 police officers ensured that the meeting of the heads of state and government went smoothly. He “basically cannot see too many officials,” said Herrmann. “I can only see afterwards how much would have been necessary.”
The Bavarian head of the German police union, Jürgen Köhnlein, made a similar statement – he also advocated a different location next time: “But that’s enough. In the future, other federal states should be the organizers of the G-7 summit.” The mission went well and the strategy worked. “The burden on the emergency services was enormous even without a riot.” From his point of view, too, it was the right thing to do “to ‘block’ in the preparation and in action”.
After the tour de force, the union wants recognition: “Now the police officers are waiting for a signal from the Ministry of the Interior that the thanks will be tangible.”
Herrmann thanked the residents
Meanwhile, Herrmann thanked residents around the G-7 summit for their patience and understanding. “That’s an impertinence,” he said, referring to the police operation, road closures and controls around the meeting of heads of state and government. “Now people in Garmisch can enjoy life again.” The tourism industry in the region could also look forward to increasing sales as a result of the summit, said Herrmann.
According to state police chief Michael Schwald, up to 10,000 police officers have been on duty around the conference venue at Schloss Elmau in the past few days. A total of around 18,000 officials were deployed mainly in Munich and in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen region because of the G-7 summit. In this context, there were 37 arrests. 1,400 personal details were recorded, and people were taken into custody in eleven cases.
According to Interior Minister Herrmann, all arrested demonstrators were free again by the end of the summit on Tuesday. The demonstrations in Munich and Garmisch-Partenkirchen around the summit remained “largely trouble-free and peaceful”.