After the attempt by “anti-mask” demonstrators to forcefully enter the Reichstag building on Saturday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel denounced “shameful images” on Monday, believing that it was a “Abuse of the right to demonstrate”.
“This weekend, we had an example of how the freedom to demonstrate can be abused,” government spokesman Steffen Seibert responded to the press. “This right to demonstrate peacefully is of course a very precious asset, even in times of a pandemic” of the new coronavirus, he added. "However, this right was clearly violated this weekend", lamented Steffen Seibert, speaking "on behalf of the government and the Chancellor" Angela Merkel.
Images that "frightened and outraged many people"
Several hundred demonstrators had forced barriers to climb the steps of the Reichstag, seat of the German parliament. They were narrowly prevented from entering the building by the police, who used sprays to disperse the crowd and arrested several people. The images created a shock wave in Germany. “The result is shameful, unacceptable images” of the attempt to break into the Reichstag building by “antidemocrats”, according to Steffen Seibert. "I would like to thank on behalf of the federal government and the Chancellor the three police officers who defended the entrance to our parliament," he concluded.
The Reichstag, where German deputies meet in plenary session, has a strong symbolic role in Germany. The building and its famous dome were set on fire in 1933 by the Nazis, in an act seen as intended to bring to its knees what remained of German democracy from the interwar period. The President of the Federal Republic, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, for his part noted that "the extreme right-wing violence during Saturday's demonstration in Berlin had rightly frightened and indignant many people".
"Right-wing extremism is deeply rooted in our society"
"We will not tolerate such excesses," he warned, receiving on Monday police officers who were responsible for maintaining order on Saturday. “Right-wing extremism is deeply rooted in our society. It is a serious danger, ”warned Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who represents a moral authority in Germany. Sign of the deterioration of the political climate in the country around the opposition to wearing a mask, the Minister of Health, Jens Spahn, was violently attacked this weekend in Bergisch-Gladbach (North Rhine-Westphalia) .
The minister, whose management of the pandemic is rather hailed, was insulted and was spit on by dozens of people who shouted "Shame", according to a video posted on social networks. “Talk to each other, that's democracy. It is not shouting and insulting. A small group can be noisy, but the vast majority of citizens stick together and help despite the difficulties of the crisis, ”Jens Spahn responded on Twitter.
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