In Munich, thousands of people demonstrated against the IAA Mobility auto show on Saturday. The organizers assumed 25,000 participants in a demonstration parade and a bicycle rally. The police spoke of more than 10,000 demonstrators.
At first it was said that the protest was largely peaceful. During the demonstration, however, the participants and the police clashed when two activists climbed trees and the train stopped there. A police spokesman told the BR that “unclear actions in the block” had been prepared. Officials then used pepper spray and batons. Initially, nothing was known about the injured. There had already been riots on Friday.
Radsternfahrt and demonstration train
On Saturday morning, 500 cyclists from several surrounding cities set out for Munich, the number had grown to 8,000 over the course of the rally, the police said. The organizers spoke of 20,000 bicycle demonstrators.
At the same time, thousands of demonstrators marched through the center of Munich: according to the police 3,500, according to the organizers 5,000. Both groups then met in the afternoon on the Theresienwiese for a joint final rally. According to the police, 50,000 participants were registered for the announced large-scale demonstration.
Protesters demand a turnaround in traffic
The demonstrators called for a mobility turnaround with fewer cars and better ways of getting around, as the organizers announced on Saturday. At the IAA 2021, shortly before the federal election, the car lobby is making great efforts to market its car show as a mobility fair this time. But even with a new location and a sustainable look, the IAA remains a marketing event for the automotive industry, “which still earns its money with the combustion engine and thus continues to fuel the climate crisis”.