Enlarge image
Photo: Christoph Schmidt / dpa
Due to violent protests, the Greens had to cancel their political Ash Wednesday rally in Biberach (you can read more about the background here) - now details about another incident are becoming known.
After a similar event in Schorndorf in Baden-Württemberg, dozens of protesters hindered the departure of Green Party federal leader Ricarda Lang. According to a reporter from the dpa news agency, the politician was booed late on Wednesday evening and received, among other things, shouts of "Get off" and "Ugh," and harsher insults were also used. The troublemakers pursued Lang and her bodyguards for around 50 meters until they were stopped by police officers.
Enlarge image
Ricarda Lang (Greens): “Anyone who becomes violent leaves the framework of democratic discourse”
Photo: Christoph Schmidt / dpa
The mood in the city east of Stuttgart had already been tense. Several farmers had demonstrated with tractors near the venue. One of them later also spoke at the Green Party event.
According to a police spokesman, around 90 to 100 people were waiting in front of the hall in which the Rems-Murr district association's political Ash Wednesday took place after the event ended.
A nearby intersection was also blocked by trucks, among others. The police assumed there were 30 to 35 vehicles at the peak. The police spokesman said on Thursday night that the protests began as a spontaneous demonstration and were then registered on site. Further details were initially not known.
Green event in Biberach previously canceled for security reasons
The Greens had previously canceled their Political Ash Wednesday event in Biberach, Baden-Württemberg, for security reasons. The move was preceded by massive protests and blockades by farmers, among others. According to its own information, the state farmers' association in Baden-Württemberg did not call for the protests or support them beforehand.
According to the police, the incidents resulted in aggressive behavior and police officers were injured. Officers used pepper spray and batons. In addition to Lang, Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir, Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann and Jürgen Trittin also wanted to take part in the traditional event.
The Green Party leader also made the cancellation an issue in Schorndorf - and criticized the incidents: "It's actually not normal that political events can only take place with a large police presence. It's not normal for the windows of company cars to be broken," she said. It is also not normal for political events to have to be canceled due to a lack of security. "This is a situation that we must never get used to in a democracy," she said. Anyone who prevents democratic exchange as such is damaging democracy.
Shortly after the cancellation in Biberach, Lang had warned against violence: "Anyone who becomes violent leaves the framework of democratic discourse," she explained. Other top politicians of different stripes also criticized the incidents in Biberach.
“Weird flags” and “very hard right-wing rock”
It is still unclear who was responsible for the escalation. “We are receiving indications that there were people who got together in Telegram groups,” said state leader Schwelling to the broadcaster Südwestrundfunk. »There were also strange flags that were displayed. “It was very hard right-wing rock,” she said. "We have no information about who did it, but we are sure that the police will investigate."
eru/dpa