Minister condemns torch protests in front of her house – Kretschmann complains about “SA methods”
Torch demos in Saxony with numerous rule violations
The police are now checking nationwide to what extent the stricter requirements to contain the pandemic are being complied with. While some are grateful that their protection is guaranteed, others react with rejection. In Saxony, the protests have reached a new level.
On Friday evening, opponents of the current Corona policy protested in front of the home of the Saxon Health Minister Petra Köpping. The police made a complaint. Now the minister herself commented on the incident.
GEgner of the Corona policy protested on Friday evening in front of the house of the Saxon Health Minister Petra Köpping (SPD). A police spokeswoman said on Saturday morning. According to her, around 30 people gathered in front of the house in Grimma, shouting with torches and posters. When the police arrived, the people fled in several vehicles. 15 cars were stopped by the police and the identities of 25 people were established.
The police have reported the violation of the Assembly Act and are investigating violations of the Corona Ordinance. Due to the dramatic pandemic situation, according to the Saxon Corona Emergency Ordinance, only gatherings with a maximum of ten people are currently allowed in the state – and only at a fixed location.
Health Minister Köpping sharply condemned the torch demonstration in front of her private house. Objective criticism of the corona measures is completely legitimate, she told the dpa news agency. “I’m always ready to talk. But torch protests in front of my house are disgusting and indecent. “
Petra Köpping (SPD), Minister of Health in Saxony
Source: dpa / Matthias Rietschel
She knows that these are not protests, but organized attempts to intimidate right-wing extremists and conspiracy believers, which unfortunately happen far too often – in front of doctors’ offices, at vaccination centers and hospitals, against mayors and other committed people.
Such attempts at intimidation often ended in violence. That is dangerous for each individual and for cohesion. “I thank you for the many supportive letters and calls and I will not be intimidated by the constant rabble and attacks,” said Köpping.
Baden-Württemberg’s Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann condemned the incident with clear words. “These are methods that the SA invented,” criticized Kretschmann on Saturday at the Green Party conference in Heidenheim in memory of the NSDAP’s fighting organization.
“These are very bad derailments,” said Kretschmann to the SWR. Torch lifts in front of a politician’s apartment were known from the SA in the Third Reich.
Saxony’s government spokesman Ralph Schreiber said about the torch demonstration: “The state government sees this as a crossing of borders with the aim of intimidating those responsible. As a consequence, the protective measures for public officials and their families will be further increased. “
The incident in Saxony was “not a legitimate protest”, said the outgoing Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) of “Bild am Sonntag”. “This torch parade is organized intimidation of a state representative. That reminds me of the darkest chapters of our German history. ”He is certain that the Saxon authorities assessed the events according to this standard and would take appropriate action.
SPD General Secretary Lars Klingbeil also criticized the torch demonstration. The limits of freedom of expression have been exceeded here, he said on Saturday at the SPD party conference in Berlin. It could not be that politicians were threatened and that “right-wing conspirators and oaths” gathered with torches in front of the house of a minister. “That needs an answer with the full rigor of the rule of law, it needs a contradiction of the decent in this country”, emphasized Klingbeil. He assured Köpping: “We are all by your side.”
The SPD Saxony as well as the SPD chairmen Saskia Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans also assured the minister of their support. Esken wrote on Twitter: “Even if the few Hansel try to spread fear and horror: the rational and willing to take responsibility are the great majority, and they are by your side!”
Walter-Borjans tweeted on Saturday morning: “What happened yesterday in front of Petra @Koepping’s house has nothing to do with worry and the urge for freedom. This is fascistoid in style and appearance. ”He went on to write:“ Now at the latest, everyone on whose behalf this mob claims to act must clearly demarcate themselves from those who are shaking the very foundations of our democracy. It is a long time since the beginnings that we have to fight back. “
On Friday evening there were protests against the Corona course in several Saxon locations. After a demo in Freiberg, 30 people are threatened with a fine of 250 euros each, the police said. The police in Dresden are preparing for a large-scale operation. A demonstration against the corona measures is expected in front of the state parliament on Monday. The police announced a “harder pace”. Most recently, it came under criticism because marches by corona deniers could take place almost unmolested despite the police presence.
The state parliament wants to decide on Monday on the determination of the epidemic situation in the Free State. With this, the government wants to achieve legal certainty for the continuation of existing protective measures and their possible expansion. The current emergency ordinance applies until December 12th. It already prescribes stronger restrictions than in many other federal states. Saxony was hit particularly hard by the fourth wave of the pandemic.
