The president of Dresden Police, Horst Kretzschmar, apologized to ZDF. Background is a controversial police mission at edge of a Pegida demonstration last week in Dresden. Policemen had controlled a camera crew of transmitter a three quarters long and thus prevented ir work. In a conversation between officials and ZDF, Kretzschmar regretted "manner of police action" as broadcaster writes in a communication. The police have acknowledged that camera team had been detained for too long.
However, ZDF pointed out that police were different from incident than ZDF camera team, which was on mission of broadcast frontal 21 on road. The representation of official voice does not coincide with "findings from ZDF footage".
In a message that police of Saxony spread over Twitter, Kretzschmar wrote, he is pleased that journalists followed his invitation. It is "inexplicable" that control of journalist took so long. "I have promised that we will work this out in police." He also wrote: "As a police force, we have to ensure that freedom of expression and demonstration and free media coverage of all kinds of demonstrations and assemblies are guaranteed."
On Thursday last week, a cameraman had filmed a train of Pegida demonstrators. A protester complained loudly that he didn't want to be filmed. He called police for help, which subsequently controlled ZDF team's ID. The Pegida demonstrator, as it turned out later, works as a wage worker at provincial Criminal Police Office (LKA).
Police action had triggered a debate about wher officials could have sympathized with demonstrators and press deliberately prevented ir work. "It has to be checked to what extent re has been interference with freedom of press," said Justice Minister Katarina Barley (SPD). Even Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) had turned to debate. "The right to demonstrate must be fully guaranteed," Merkel said. Those who go to a demonstration, however, must reckon that y will be watched and recorded by media. "I want to be explicit about freedom of press," she said.
In contrast, Saxony's prime minister, Michael Kretschmer (CDU), had been behind police shortly after incident. The only ones who were "serious" in incident were policemen, he wrote on Twitter.
Date Of Update: 25 August 2018, 12:00
