Under the motto “Erding is colorful”, a counter-demonstration promoted solidarity, vaccinations and compliance with the corona protective measures.
(Photo: private)
Once again on Monday, a large number of anti-vaccinations took part in unannounced demonstrations in Erding, Dorfen and Wartenberg. The protest march in Erding attracted even more people than before. The Erding Police Department estimated the number of participants at around 1,500. That is 600 more than a week ago, an increase of almost 70 percent. The march led by the police through the city center of Erdingen was probably one of the largest in the greater Munich area. Under the title “Erding is colorful”, around 85 mainly young people demonstrated at a registered rally on Schrannenplatz for solidarity, vaccination and compliance with the corona protective measures. In Dorfen, according to the local police inspection, around 270 anti-vaccination campaigners accompanied by the police through the city. In Wartenberg there were around 85.
The demonstrations, which their organizers and participants refer to as “Monday walks”, are a nationwide phenomenon. In Munich, the marches that are announced and advertised on social media, but for the organization of which there are allegedly no persons responsible, have meanwhile been prohibited by general decree. Participants in unannounced demos commit an administrative offense in Munich that can be punished with a fine of up to 3000 euros.
The Erdinger District Administrator Martin Bayerstorfer (CSU) has not yet made use of this means and does not consider it necessary: ”The Monday walks in the Erding district have so far been without significant incidents compared to elsewhere. Violence, property damage or riots of any kind are, however in no way to be tolerated. ” The responsible department head of the district office writes: “The empirical values collected so far show that the additional requirements have not created any significant added value elsewhere and the potential for conflict has increased.” In addition, “the police recommend for the time being not to issue a general order,” since the unannounced demonstrations were peaceful.
Anti-vaccination campaigners from Munich have published a list of more than 200 such demos across Bavaria on the Telegram channel of the group “Munich stands on”. These included the “Monday walks” in Erding, Dorfen and Wartenberg. At the end of the list with the meeting point and starting time it says, “This list also includes easily accessible places that are not affected by the general decree of the City of Munich,” followed by a winking smiley. It is obvious that quite a few demo participants drove to Erding on Monday because such moves are no longer allowed in Munich.
In Erding, participants in the local parade keep in touch with one another in a telegram channel of a group called the “Erdinger Freiheitsforum”. The logo above the Telegram channel shows two wings on a blue background, very similar to the logo of the Erdinger AfD offshoot “Erdinger Patrioten”, which in this way makes it clear that one is becoming the right-wing extremist – officially dissolved – AfD party wing “Der Flügel “counts.
The unannounced protest march through Erding was also “looked after” by many police forces on Monday, as the police report says. The participants met at 7 p.m. on Schrannenplatz, which was divided into two halves by barriers. On the side facing the savings bank building, the rally “Erding is colorful” took place, which the Wartenberg Juso Nico Schmidt had duly registered. Schmidt was insulted several times for this in the already mentioned Telegram channel of the “Erdinger Freiheitsforum”. Likewise, Konrad Thees, spokesman for the Erdinger Green local association, who had published the announcement for the rally “Erding is colorful”, received insults addressed to him personally. On Monday evening there were a number of other verbal attacks on Schrannenplatz that went so far that police forces stood protectively in front of the participants in the registered demo. “We are really grateful to the police for that,” said Thees of the SZ.
Nevertheless, he criticized the way the police dealt with the anti-vaccination march. After the estimated 1500 participants had gathered on the assigned side of Schrannenplatz, the police announced by announcement that they would escort the march through the city center. A large police vehicle led the move for about an hour along an “elevator route set by the assembly authorities and the police,” according to the police report. Thees said he saw it as “a glorification rather than a limitation” of the unannounced meeting. After the marchers returned at Schrannenplatz, the police announced the meeting was over. It was only when some did not want to leave that the police threatened consequences. With immediate success. Thees said the last opponents of the vaccination were gone within half a minute. He thinks that this is how the police should have acted at the beginning of the unannounced demonstration, not at the end.