In downtown Offenbach, more than a thousand people demonstrated on Saturday with a protest march against compulsory vaccination and the state corona rules.

According to the police, around 1,200 people took part in the protest, slightly fewer than expected.

At counter-rallies, around 300 people demonstrated against the protest march.

The protest march passed one of the counter-demonstrations on Willy-Brandt-Platz in front of the town hall. Demonstrators on both sides shouted slogans, and there was a battle of words. The participants of the protest formed hearts with their hands or showed the middle finger. The participants in the counter-rally expressed their disapproval with a thumbs down, and a few middle fingers were also shown. The counter-rally chanted “Nazis out”. Individual participants in the protest march agreed. At the second meeting of the parties on Kaiserstrasse, parts of the protest march also chanted “Nazis out”.

The motto of the elevator was "Great march for peace and cohesion!". The opponents of the Corona rules demanded “a free vaccination decision” in loudspeaker announcements, often referring to children. They questioned the danger of the corona virus and spread rumors about the corona vaccinations.

There were many middle-aged people among the train participants, as well as a few parents with their children. Apparently, many participants did not come from Offenbach themselves. The demonstrators carried placards with the inscriptions “Vaccination is not a democracy” or “Before God all people are equal”. A young woman carried a placard that said "heart muscle inflammation refusers". Israel and rainbow flags were occasionally seen. Among the participants in the protest were at least two high-ranking officials of the right-wing extremist NPD, Daniel Lachmann and Stefan Jagsch. According to the party website, Lachmann is the Hessian state chairman and Jagsch his deputy.

Among other things, “Rhein-Main-stands up” and “lateral thinking-615 Darmstadt” had called for the protest march. They had also mobilized the “lateral thinking” movement via Telegram channels. The movement is observed by the Hessian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution registered right-wing extremist and anti-Semitic ideologies at the demonstrations. He describes a "constitutional delegitimization of the state".

The action alliance “Solidarity Together” had called for the counter-demonstrations.

These include trade unions, the Jusos, the left-wing youth and the friends of nature.

They demonstrated under the motto "Solidarity through the crisis: Stop lateral thinking!".

They had met in front of the town hall, on Mathildenplatz and on Kaiserstrasse.

In addition, a vigil was held in front of the synagogue on Kaiserstraße.

On the protest march, the atmosphere was partially relaxed.

Participants drummed and danced to the music.

Some residents waved, rocked to the beat or filmed from their windows.

Others were more dismissive.

A banner reading "Nazis out" was attached to one house.

The protest procession moved from Büsingpark past the town hall, along the Main and across Berliner Strasse.

Berliner Strasse and Kaiserstrasse were closed for several hours.

The police regulated the traffic, there were shorter traffic jams.

The protest march and rallies passed without incident.

Over long distances, the demonstrators kept the prescribed distance of two meters from each other.

However, masks were rarely worn.

However, the police found no violations of the conditions of the demonstration.