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Chaotic protests in Gießen: car breaks AfD blockade!
In Giessen, tens of thousands demonstrated against the founding of an AfD youth organization. There were blockades and violent clashes.
Chaotic protests in Gießen: car breaks AfD blockade!
In Giessen last weekend, tens of thousands of demonstrators staged a massive protest against the founding of a new AfD youth organization called “Generation Germany”. The police estimated the number of participants at up to 50,000, with the German Trade Union Confederation organizing the largest rally with around 20,000 participants. Despite the large crowds, the protests remained largely peaceful, but there were also violent clashes and blockages of traffic routes, which resulted in a notable police operation. On Saturday, 10 to 15 officers were slightly injured, while demonstrators reported over 26 injuries. The Federal Minister of the Interior, Alexander Dobrindt, also criticized the willingness of some of the demonstrators to use violence and emphasized the importance of the right to demonstrate, combined with the necessary respect for the police. [hessenschau.de].
A video snippet documenting the tumultuous scenes during the founding shows a car driving into the crowd during a protest blockade. A spokesman for the AfD, Christopher Wiedenhaupt, described the vehicle as part of an official convoy, but this was rejected as unfounded by a police spokesman for Central Hesse. An ambulance was allowed through the blockade, but the following car drove behind unhindered and rammed the protest group. According to eyewitnesses, several protesters tried to stop the vehicle and pounded on the hood while the car's rear window shattered. The police have viewed the video footage and are conducting investigations to clarify the incident. fr.de also reported that the situation escalated around 9 a.m. in Lahnau-Atzbach.
The massive police operation
The dimensions of the protests represented one of the largest police operations in the history of Hesse. Thousands of police officers from 15 federal states were mobilized to deal with the situation and restore order. Police used water cannons to urge protesters to clear the blockades, which also sparked serious clashes. Interior Minister Roman Poseck (CDU) condemned the violence and emphasized that not all demonstrators appeared peaceful, which posed a significant challenge for the emergency services.
The new youth organization “Generation Germany” is under critical observation, especially since its chairman Jean-Pascal Hohm is listed as a right-wing extremist by the Brandenburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution. There are concerns that the organization could become a hub for networking between AfD and right-wing extremist groups. The predecessor, the Junge Alternative (JA), had already been classified as right-wing extremist and had dissolved. This makes it clear that the founding of this new organization is taking place in a controversial and possibly politically explosive environment.
In view of the events and the decisions taken in society, there is frustration with the willingness to use violence and the political influences associated with it. The topic will continue to stir people's minds and leaves open the question of what will happen next with the political climate in Germany.