Demos against corona policy: How municipalities take action against so-called "walks"

After persistent violations and riots, more and more municipalities in the south and south-west of Germany are prohibiting unannounced gatherings and "walks" to protest against corona measures or are imposing strict conditions.

In Baden-Württemberg, after cities such as Mannheim and Karlsruhe, Crailsheim, Schwäbisch Hall and Bad Mergentheim, Bruchsal and Stuttgart have now also issued corresponding bans and issued general decrees.

However, opponents of the corona measures still take to the streets in many cities and communities.

In Stuttgart, from the beginning of the year and for the entire month, all unannounced demonstrations against the Corona regulation declared as "walks" in the city center are prohibited, as the city announced on Thursday. Bruchsal had previously announced a ban until the end of January. In Mannheim, Speyer, Karlsruhe and Bretten, the unannounced protests, which are called for via social networks, have already been banned for different periods of time.

The city of Stuttgart justified its decision that previous “walks” had deliberately violated the right of assembly as well as the mask and the obligation to keep a distance.

In addition, experiences in other cities such as Mannheim, Munich or Schweinfurt showed that the actions were increasingly aggressive and more violent.

The protests are demonstrations "that are deliberately not reported to the authorities in order to circumvent possible requirements under corona law and assembly law," the public order office also explains the procedure.

Conditions in Bavaria

In Bavaria, too, more and more municipalities are taking action against the unannounced gatherings and "walks" to protest against corona measures. The city of Munich announced on Thursday that on January 1st, 3rd and 5th "all stationary or moving demos" against the corona policy are prohibited in the entire city area if they are not registered in advance. The aim is "to prevent a proliferation of in no way justifiable demos with partly violent participants", in which neither distances nor masks are kept. A fine of up to 3000 euros can be imposed on each participant.

In Munich, despite the ban, several thousand people once again marched through the city center on Wednesday.

The police established personal details, issued 1,300 dismissals and reported around 700 demonstrators for an administrative offense.

You should expect fines shortly, the city said.

The city of Augsburg ordered a mask requirement and a minimum distance for so-called walks of several hundred participants from January 1st to 3rd.

The city of Würzburg banned “walks” by lateral thinkers from Thursday evening and only allowed stationary rallies with a maximum of 250 people until January 9, who had to keep their distance and wear a mask.

The district office of Nördlingen also restricted the “walks” planned for Thursday evening and Monday, in terms of location and time, and ordered a distance and a mask requirement. The district office of Rosenheim also decreed that a "lantern walk" through Wasserburg planned for Monday may only take place in a stationary manner and with a mask and distance. In Straubing, from Friday “only fixed meetings in connection with so-called“ Corona walks ”are permitted” that have been registered in advance.

Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) attributed the growing aggressiveness in corona protests to the influence of right-wing extremists. On the one hand, the discussion about compulsory vaccinations brought new impetus to the lateral thinker scene. "But on the other hand, it is also clear that more and more right-wing extremists - whether they are parts of the AfD or supporters of the NPD or the Third Way, really total right-wing radicalism - are trying to get into this area and do their thing here to cook “, said Herrmann on Thursday in the WDR. Corona may be of secondary importance: "They really want to damage our democracy, to attack the substance of our state."

Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) said in his New Year’s address, which was widespread in advance, that Corona had opened rifts in society.

“We must therefore not only see Corona virologically, but must also try to heal and reconcile our society again.

That is certainly the most important task besides fighting the pandemic. "But Bavaria is resolutely defying all those who are trying to undermine our democracy under the guise of Corona."