After the blockade campaign against Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck on the North Sea, the Flensburg public prosecutor’s office initiated an investigation on suspicion of coercion. In addition, it is being examined whether there are other crimes such as resistance to law enforcement officers and breach of the peace, said senior public prosecutor Bernd Winterfeldt to the German Press Agency (dpa). An unknown person is currently being investigated.
On Thursday, demonstrators prevented Green Party politician Habeck from leaving a ferry in Schlüttsiel in Schleswig-Holstein. According to the shipping company, it was almost stormed by demonstrators. The captain prevented this at the last moment, said the managing director of the Wyker Dampfschiffs-Reederei, Axel Meynköhn, to the dpa.
The captain, with the bodyguards on board and after consultation with the police on land, decided to cast off again. “If this decision had been made a minute later, the ferry would have been stormed,” said the managing director. He knows from the crew that people could probably have jumped on if the ship hadn’t already been too far away.
Habeck was on his way back to the mainland from a private visit to the Hallig Hooge on Thursday evening. But at the pier in Schlüttsiel, farmers harassed the minister and prevented him from leaving the ferry. At times, tumultuous scenes took place.
Screenshot of a video from the protests against Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck
(Photo: -/NEWS5/dpa)
According to the police, there were up to 300 demonstrators. 25 to 30 people from the meeting tried to get on the ferry. Around 30 officers were on duty. They also used pepper spray, a police spokesman said.
According to his spokeswoman, Habeck agreed to discuss with the farmers. But the security situation did not allow this. So the minister had no choice but to take the ferry back to the Hallig. He only reached the mainland on another ferry that night and arrived home in Flensburg around 2:30 a.m., as the police and a ministry spokesman said.
The day after, Habeck commented on the incident: “I regret that no discussion situation could be achieved with the farmers. Protesting in Germany is a valuable asset. Coercion and violence destroy this asset. We should counteract this with words and deeds.” The minister thanked both the police officers who secured the ship and the fellow passengers and crew of the ferry. They were suddenly affected.
Representatives of the federal government and numerous politicians condemned the farmers’ protest. Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit wrote on Platform
“It’s shocking what happened there and I’m deeply outraged. It’s a complete transgression of boundaries and an attack on Robert Habeck’s privacy,” she said Chairwoman of the Green parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Britta Haßelmann. She expects the farmers’ association to “strongly condemn these attacks and distance themselves from such actions.”
That has now happened. “Personal attacks, insults, threats, coercion or violence are not acceptable. Despite any displeasure, we of course respect the privacy of politicians,” said the President of the farmers’ association, Joachim Rukwied.
Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir (Greens) said in the ARD “Morgenmagazin” that the people at the ferry were not interested in German agriculture. “They have wet dreams of overthrows, and that won’t happen,” said the Green politician, adding: “To say it very clearly: This is not acceptable.”
Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) wrote on Platform
Schleswig-Holstein’s Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) said: “Every protest has limits.” These limits were far exceeded in the action against Habeck. Despite understanding the farmers’ dissatisfaction, such behavior has no place in Schleswig-Holstein. “These chaotic people are damaging the actual cause,” said Günther.
Farmers’ association wants to stick to the week of action
The farmers are angry because of the traffic light coalition’s planned reduction of subsidies. On Thursday, before the incident on the ferry, the federal government responded to the massive farmers’ protests and announced that it would not abolish the vehicle tax exemption for agriculture. In addition, the tax relief for agricultural diesel should be reduced gradually rather than all at once.
However, the German Farmers’ Association considers this to be inadequate and wants to stick to the week of action, which is planned for next Monday. Then you have to expect tractor demonstrations and road blockades.