The right-wing scene is mobilizing in its forums against the appearance of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on Friday afternoon at Munich’s Marienplatz (starting at 4:30 p.m.). Both AfD and lateral thinkers have registered counter-events – and the left-wing Antifa, in turn, protests against the right. The protests by “opposing participants” on Marienplatz itself are expected to be considerably larger but not officially registered. The police will therefore be on duty with numerous officers. Marienplatz is to be searched for with explosives detection dogs as early as noon.
The comments in relevant Internet forums give a foretaste. “Long live the trilling, the whistling and the peaceful demonstration of popular anger,” announces a group that emerged from the anti-vaccination scene and regularly brings several hundred supporters onto the streets. “War-mongering”, “treason against the country”, even the “destruction of Germany” are accused of the Chancellor in comment columns, egg-throwing at Scholz is announced. A user wishes the SPD politician to die of heat death. The far-reaching conspiracy ideologist Ken Jebsen is also calling for protests against Scholz.
The Munich AfD also uses the Scholz appearance to draw attention to itself. While the lateral thinker scene wants to bring its supporters together after the chancellor’s speech at Rindermarkt, the right-wing party wants to set the mood at Stachus. “It has scolded itself – for a sovereign Germany,” is the AfD slogan. According to the district administration department (KVR), the party itself only expects eight participants.
The AfD itself must reckon with counter-protests
But they too will face protests. An “anti-fascist regulars’ table in Munich” announced it. “No room for right-wing agitation!” it says in an appeal against the AfD “with its racist, sexist and misanthropic ideology”.
Apart from the 3,000 to 4,000 people expected by the SPD who want to listen to the chancellor and Florian von Brunn, the top Bavarian candidate for the state elections, there will be a lot of protests from right and left on and around Marienplatz. A “challenge”, according to the Munich police, which they want to meet with their “proven operational concepts”. Barriers to the Marienplatz, which will be set up from 1 p.m., and the deployment of more than 200 police officers will ensure that the meetings are carried out without any problems.
Munich police work closely with federal authorities
“Tomorrow’s assembly situations are not commonplace for the Munich police headquarters either,” said a spokesman on Thursday. “The prominent position held by Federal Chancellor Scholz alone means that close cooperation with federal authorities, among others, will be necessary.” However, the KVR has “no concrete risk forecast”. At the end of May, there was a security breach at Frankfurt Airport: a 48-year-old man was able to smuggle himself into the Chancellor’s convoy in his car and hugged Scholz on the tarmac, only then was the Frankfurter arrested.