Court hearings for administrative offenses are usually not a big deal. Little is at stake, and accordingly the trials are rarely overly exciting or well attended. Unless, of course, there are violations of the Infection Protection Act. Then suddenly the rule of law itself seems to be up for debate – and the audience fills up. This is what happened this Wednesday: The chairman of the Ebersberg district court is to decide on two violations of the ban on assembly and one violation of the mask requirement.
On April 22, 2021, after a demonstration against the Corona measures, several demo participants are said to have met in front of a Poinger pizzeria to end the evening. The police came and took personal details. The officials issued place references and issued fines.
While the chairman reads out the facts and questioned a police officer as a witness, the ten or so spectators whispered. These are “measure critics,” as they call themselves, who reportedly see the process as a farce. “We’re being treated like criminals!” whispered from a corner. Or: “That’s so typical!”
A fine of 500 euros was imposed at the time. Two women appealed against this. So the case ended up in court. In the hall, the two contradict the police’s account: “I didn’t do anything forbidden. I ordered a pizza inside and waited outside,” says one. “I haven’t done anything wrong,” said the other. They make no further statements. Since relevant witnesses were not present that day, the hearings are adjourned.
The organizer of a Corona demo is accused of violating the mask requirement
That could have been it if it hadn’t been for the third administrative offense with a fine of 250 euros. A woman who has organized demonstrations against corona measures several times herself is said to have violated the mask requirement at an event on April 29, 2021 – i.e. a week after the above-mentioned demo. Unlike the other two accused, she has a lot to say, some of it about the matter itself.
It is true that she did not wear a mask. However, she also waited “very well” outside the meeting area to give a speech on stage. However, she was then forgotten by the leader of the meeting and ran into his field of vision to draw attention to herself. When two police officers asked her to put on a mask or present a certificate, she refused – “with good reason,” as she emphasizes. At the time, she accused the police of wanting to restrict her freedom of speech. Eventually she was reported. The woman also appealed against this fine.
She sees herself as the victim of a “hunt” caused “by the media, which would take action against those who criticize the measures and those who have not been vaccinated”. She cannot wear a mask for medical reasons, a certificate certifies that she has a “complex constellation of various diseases”, which causes her to panic and have a racing heart when she wears it. The woman’s voice almost cracks when she says: “That’s not a constitutional state,” when someone with a certificate receives a fine. However, the certificate was no longer valid in this form due to a lack of diagnosis, which she was aware of at the time, according to the court. However, she did not show the new, valid certificate, for fear, according to the woman, that the doctor’s practice could be searched by the police.
While the woman is speaking, she repeatedly receives encouragement from the other “critics of the measures” until the chairman feels compelled to reprimand her: “This is not a Barbara Salesch event.” In the end, the proceedings must also be suspended because certain witnesses did not appear.