Protesters in eastern Germany clash with police over activist convictions News
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Protesters in eastern Germany clash with police over activist convictions

Police in Leipzig, Germany on Saturday broke up a protest orchestrated by left-wing groups involving over 700 people over the sentencing given to one of four far-left activists who attacked Neo-Nazis over a period of two years. More demonstrations are expected despite local court bans on protests.

Protestors set up roadblocks, threw projectiles and started fires. Police stated on Twitter that 300 people were arrested for breach of the peace and attacks on officers.

Activists called for a national day of action after a court in Dresden sentenced a student from Leipzig named Lina to a 5-year jail term for violent attacks on Neo Nazis and other far-right supporters between 2018 and 2020. Three other accomplices have yet to be sentenced. Many groups took to social media and then to the streets, protesting the sentencing with the hashtag “Free Lina” trending.

Large-scale protests in Germany need to be authorized by local authorities who have the right to restrict them if they believe they will jeopardize public safety. Local reports say that Leipzig’s Higher Administrative Court and local authorities all posted a ban on Saturday’s protest due to potential violence The German Constitutional Court also said that it would not hear any emergency injunctions on the issue.

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