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Tractors in the center of Hamburg (archive photo): The demonstrators were probably dissatisfied with the reporting on the farmers' protests

Photo: Nikolai Kislichko / Horrmann Kislichko GbR / IMAGO

They came with semi-trailers and cars - and stayed for several hours: On Saturday night, around 70 demonstrators blocked a Hamburg newspaper distributor. From shortly before midnight, a semi-trailer tractor, several vans and cars blocked three entrances to the book and press distribution center in Hamburg-Wandsbek, as the “Hamburger Morgenpost” (“Mopo”) reported. The aim was probably to prevent the delivery of newspapers.

According to the report, when the police arrived, one of the participants identified himself as the leader of the meeting and then reported a spontaneous demonstration to the officers. According to Mopo, the reason he cited was, in his opinion, “incorrect press reporting about the crisis situation in Germany.”

Saying against the traffic light government

According to a reporter from "t-online.de", the demonstrators are primarily referring to the reports about the farmers' protests in the port of Hamburg at the beginning of the week. A slogan against the traffic light government could also be read on a truck.

Officials approved the gathering but ordered protesters to clear the distribution center's driveways. When the blockers did not comply with the requirement, the police broke up the demonstration at around 2:20 a.m. According to “Mopo”, the participants drove off as a group towards Schleswig-Holstein. It is not yet known whether the blockade partially prevented or delayed the delivery of the newspapers.

13 investigations after farmers' protests

Meanwhile, the farmers' road blockades in the port of Hamburg at the beginning of the week probably had consequences for several participants. The police are investigating more than a dozen participants, a spokesman told Mopo, including for coercion and holding an unregistered meeting. Further reports are currently being evaluated, so the number could still change.

The tractor blockades had a huge impact on traffic on Monday and Tuesday. Traffic on the A7 was slow for 14 kilometers on Tuesday morning and the federal highways were blocked.

taf/dpa