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If you talk to people from the security department about the situation on May 1st, you quickly learn that the planning has not been shaped by so many imponderables for a long time: nationwide mobilizations, too few emergency services, many demonstrations.
It is unclear this year how great the mobilization potential actually is in the left-wing autonomous scene.
Left-wing extremists have announced that they will demonstrate primarily in Hamburg and Leipzig.
The “lateral thinkers”, in turn, want to take to the streets in Oldenburg;
Right-wing extremists call for a demonstration in Erfurt.
An official familiar with the deployment planning in Berlin said to WELT with a view to the capital: “It may be that May 1st will be very peaceful.
But it can also be that the frustration discharges. ”This refers to the large May demonstration and the many small, decentralized events in the city.
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The traditional 6 p.m. demonstration will not start this year at Oranienplatz in Kreuzberg, but at Hermannplatz in Neukölln.
From there the route should lead over Karl-Marx-Straße and Sonnenallee to Kreuzberg.
It also goes through many smaller and narrow streets.
Nevertheless, the Berlin police want to let the demonstration run first.
Fight scenes in the zoo after the demo was dissolved
In the event of arrests, there were clashes between corona demonstrators and the police in the Berlin zoo.
There were several injured.
Thousands had previously demonstrated against the amendment to the Infection Protection Act.
Source: WORLD / Martin Heller / Alexander Dinger
At the same time, however, one looks to see whether the protection against infection is being observed, i.e. sufficient distance is kept and masks are being worn, according to the authorities. The most critical point of the demonstration is the end, according to security circles. If it is already full in Kreuzberg and then a large demonstration winds its way through narrow streets, there could be a large backlog - then the demonstration would have to be broken up.
In addition, there is particular pressure on the police this year.
The public will be watching very closely how the agency handles the demonstrations.
In Kassel and Stuttgart, supporters of the “lateral thinkers” movement were recently able to roam the city unmolested, although they disregarded infection protection en masse.
On the other hand, the Berlin police quickly broke up a demonstration against the infection protection measures of the federal government in Berlin and cracked down on demonstrators.
Thousands of “lateral thinkers” demonstrate in Stuttgart
Significantly more than the expected 2,500 demonstrators came together for a “lateral thinking” rally in Stuttgart.
The corona rules were largely not adhered to.
Source: WORLD
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There will be other events parallel to the large 6 p.m. demonstration.
For example, there is a bicycle parade to Grunewald in the morning.
The Berlin club scene also wants to take to the streets and draw attention to the consequences of the corona pandemic.
Because many events take place nationwide, the Berlin authority fears a staff shortage.
The police plan with 40 to 45 deployment hun- dreds.
She can provide half of the units herself; she has requested the remaining units from other countries.
A total of around 4,000 police officers are said to be on duty on May 1st.
"However, there are still many question marks," said operations manager Stephan Katte recently to journalists.
It is also unclear what effects the failed rent cap will have.
At a spontaneous demonstration through Berlin on April 15, after the decision of the Federal Constitutional Court was announced, the first clashes with the police had already taken place.
Protesters threw bottles and stones at the police.
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The spokesman for the Berlin Police Union (GdP), Benjamin Jendro, warns: "The last and upcoming legal decisions on scene objects or the rent cap will give further motivation to abuse the basic right to freedom of assembly for criminal offenses." The Berlin police are experienced enough to find the right answers to the dynamic situation.
The last time it was in Berlin was on May 1st.
While street battles dominated the scene in the 80s and 90s, the Berlin police had succeeded in pacifying May 1st as far as possible in recent years.
In contrast to the past, when demonstrators and police officers played cat and mouse, the police increasingly opted for a de-escalation strategy.
That means: the demonstration was allowed to run.
At the end of the day, criminals were deliberately taken out of the crowd and arrested by special evidence preservation and arrest units.
However, Siegfried-Peter Wulff, head of operations for many years, who perfected this concept, retired last year.
For his successor, Katte, it is now May 1st as operations manager.