It’s not the kind of weather that makes you want to hit the streets. Probably not to protest against corona measures or “to go for a walk”, as the demonstrators themselves always say. A snowstorm swept across the Unterhaching town hall square on Monday evening. The thick flakes caught on the laminated copies of the general decree that an administrative worker had tied to the lamppost with cable ties. The wind also blew around the police officers, who stayed here to bar any potential protesters from demonstrating unannounced at the site and direct them into the local park. In other words, to enforce the general decree. They didn’t have much to do with it that evening. Only a few came to demonstrate.
On the Mondays before, up to 300 people had joined the protest marches around the town center, most recently with loud performances, during which police officers were also verbally attacked. Therefore, the district office decided to declare Unterhaching a taboo zone for unannounced meetings this Monday. Only one meeting was allowed on the Bürgerfestplatz in the nearby local park, the conditions ranged from the obligation to wear a mask to the requirement to keep your distance to the regulation of the use of whistles.
It is not known whether the lousy weather or the general decree largely prevented people from taking their protest against the Corona measures on the streets of Unterhaching or even in the local park this time. At least nothing moved on the Bürgerfestplatz except the snowstorm, illuminated by the headlights of the police buses. Munich police chief Thomas Hampel, who came to Unterhaching to see the situation for himself, was also able to see this for himself. After all, unlike in the city of Munich, it was the first time that a general decree against the protest marches was issued in the district.
“Do you want to demonstrate? Then you can go to the citizens’ fairground over in the local park.”
With loudspeaker announcements on the town hall square, which the few demonstrators who arrived sometimes acknowledged with derisive laughter, and in personal conversations those who had come were informed about the applicable decree, which went something like this: “Do you want to demonstrate? Then you can go go to the community fairground over in the local park. Or they go back home.” Anyone who at least took a quick look at the allocated space turned away when they saw the empty, snowflake-covered area. A few groups were still standing around. About 30 to 50 people tried to form a train on Rathausstrasse, according to the head of the police inspection Siegfried Graf. According to the police, there were also some demonstrators on Fasanengartenstrasse.
The police can only wait and see whether the potential participants in such Unterhaching protest marches have arranged to meet on another day because of the general decree. Since the ban had to be limited to January 31 because it referred to the unannounced gatherings that take place every Monday, Graf reckons that this could be the case and announces further police presence.
A general decree may be issued again for next Monday. “Of course, we continue to monitor the situation in this regard and are in contact with the police and the municipality of Unterhaching, among other things,” said the district office. Whether there will also be a general decree for next Monday will be clarified in the course of the week.” On February 7th, two demonstrations could take place simultaneously in Unterhaching. Because the local branches of the Greens, the SPD and the CSU have a joint rally “for Solidarity, cohesion, science and democracy” on Rathausplatz (starting at 6:30 p.m.).