May Day rallies: Police, protesters clash in Berlin, Paris
Protesters in Berlin threw bottles, firecrackers and stones at police during May Day marches in the Neukölln neighborhood of the German capital. Police took several demonstrators into custody.
A reporter for Berlin’s Tagesspiegel newspaper reported after confrontations between protesters and police, the situation in Neukölln had calmed somewhat.
The first of May, the annual holiday for workers’ rights, is typically heralded by loud protests and well-attended street marches.
This year, with many people unhappy at the coronavirus restrictions currently in place, authorities have been on increased alert.
Left meets right in Germany
Thousands of police officers were on hand ahead of and after the protests, with unrest emerging among both left- and right-wing demonstrators.
While the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) held its main rally in Hamburg with a motto that “Solidarity is the Future,” the authorities’ main focus was elsewhere.
More than 5,000 officers were to be deployed on the streets of Berlin, where past May Day rallies have been accompanied by disorder, particularly after nightfall. Saturday’s clashes between protesters and police saw trash cans and street barricades set on fire.
Authorities in the German capital were expecting up to 10,000 people to take part in a left-wing march.
Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a statement of support for all the work accomplished throughout the pandemic.
“It is precisely professions that otherwise do not get such attention that have kept the country going,” she said.
Thousands of people took to the streets of Berlin for May Day rallies
COVID-skeptic concerns
An afternoon demonstration by the Querdenker (Lateral Thinking) group, which opposes the government’s coronavirus strategy, is also anticipated in Berlin.
Police spokesperson Thilo Cablitz told news agency dpa that officers from across the country would be brought in.
The eastern city of Leipzig has already put a stop to three demonstrations that sought registration, as required under German law. Authorities banned the gatherings due to the pandemic restrictions, yet there were several other demos still under consideration.
In Hanover, police set up protection zones for journalists in response to attacks on reporters in the past by angry Querdenker protesters.
Arrests in France, Turkey
In France, thousands of people across the country took part in May Day protests.
Scuffles were reported between anarchist “black bloc” protesters and police in Paris, with 34 people arrested.
Some demonstrators in the French capital smashed the windows of banks in the French capital, set trash cans on fire and lobbed objects at police. Authorities responded with tear gas.
Turkish police detain demonstrators during clashes at a May Day rally in Istanbul
In Turkey, police in Istanbul arrested 212 people who attempted to hold a workers’ rights rally despite a ban on gatherings due to the coronavirus pandemic. Another 11 people were arrested in Ankara for attempting to hold a protest, according to local media.
Battling one of the highest infection rates in Europe, Turkey has been under a complete lockdown since April 29.
jsi, rs/sms (dpa, Reuters, AFP, AP)
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/may-day-rallies-police-protesters-clash-in-berlin-paris/a-57395625?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf