Erfurt (dpa/th) - According to Interior Minister Georg Maier, there have been around 2,750 demonstrations and protests against the Corona policy, against price increases or the Russia sanctions in Thuringia so far this year. About 80 percent of them were not registered, said the SPD politician on Friday in the state parliament in Erfurt. Maier rejected allegations by the AfD faction that he would stop the police from acting disproportionately at the demonstrations. The accusation was difficult to bear, said the interior minister.
During the protest actions, which the AfD mostly described as walks, there were repeated violations of corona rules, administrative offenses and criminal offenses. Police officers were injured, insulted or spat on.
The police's job is to de-escalate stress and panic, but also to prevent public order from being disturbed. "In the past it happened that the police had to use coercion when offers of communication were rejected." The minister praised the forces. "I'm proud of the Thuringian police, how they handled difficult situations."
Left-wing MP Katharina König-Preuss accused the AfD of wanting to have sovereignty on the street in order to restrict other people. "Many people are afraid of marches with torches." Often the protest was not peaceful as claimed by the AfD. As an example, she named actions in Hildburghausen. AfD MP Ringo Mühlmann said that in a democracy "protest against excessive government action must be possible." He demanded more de-escalation.
König-Preuss and SPD MP Dorothea Marx accused the AfD of using protests to incite people. This is also to be expected at a demonstration announced this Saturday in front of the state parliament in Erfurt, in which, in addition to AfD representatives, representatives from Pegida and the right-wing organization Freie Sachsen would also be involved. The left called for counteractions.
