Barely two weeks after the beginning of aggressive protests, thousands of demonstrators gathered again in Chemnitz. According to the police, around 2350 participants came to a lift of the right-wing populist movement "Pro Chemnitz" on Friday evening. 1000 registered. The number of counter-demonstrators on the side of the Alliance "Chemnitz nazifrei" numbered a police spokeswoman with 1,000 to twice as many as announced.
The situation was therefore "almost trouble-free" remained. Six violations of the mummification ban were registered. Nobody was hurt. The police were deployed with a large contingent.
Parallel to the demonstrations, the city's cultural institutions set an example against xenophobia, incitement and violence with an open-air concert of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The 4500 seats on the Theaterplatz were completely filled. There were still several hundred people on the edge. Because of a heavy downpour the concert was interrupted for a quarter of an hour. The visitors stayed and pulled rain ponchos over.
DPA
Open-Air Concert of the Kulturbetriebe of Chemnitz
Police separated the camps with bars
The participants of the "Pro Chemnitz" demo chanted again and again "We are the people" and "This is our city". With these shouts, people had already taken to the streets, after a 35-year-old German had been stabbed two weeks ago on the edge of the city festival. As suspect three men from Syria and Iraq. Among the first demos, hooligan groups mobilized.
The police separated the two assemblies with bars on Friday evening. In support of the Saxon police were officials from six federal states and the federal police in action. A police helicopter circled over the city.
A spokesman at the demonstration of the Chemnitz nazifrei alliance said that the point now is to show that anti-fascism and anti-racism are not just an event. According to the city, 65,000 people came to the "#wirsindmehr" concert against right-wing extremists on Monday. The free concert included Kraftklub, Die Toten Hosen and Marteria.
During the concert donations were collected. It had come together exactly 22,106.41 euros, as the organizers announced. The money will be handed over to the family of the killed 35-year-old half. The other half are equal parts to the alliance "Chemnitz nazifrei" and the victim counseling "RAA Sachsen".