Thousands protest again against government policies

In many East German cities, thousands of people demonstrated again on Monday evening against the federal government's social, energy and Russia policies. According to the police in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Brandenburg, the protests were peaceful and there were no riots until the evening. In many places fewer participants came than expected.

In Wittenberg, the police counted 2,700 participants in a demonstration called, among others, by the right-wing extremist splinter party “Freie Sachsen”. According to the police, 550 people took part in an elevator in Halle, and 600 demonstrators were counted in Magdeburg.

According to the police, around 1,000 people demonstrated against the government's policy in Bautzen, Saxony. The elevator went without incident. In one case, it was checked whether a participant had shown the forbidden Hitler salute, it said. Demonstrators had expressed displeasure against media workers and police officers who had enforced freedom of the press.

According to a spokesman, the police in Leipzig counted around 700 participants and 500 in counter-protests. There were several sit-ins on the streets. The spokesman said that several complaints had been made about violating the Assembly Act. In addition, a journalist was hindered in his work. 600 people demonstrated in Torgau, a good 50 kilometers away.

In Thuringia, according to the information, more than 2,100 people joined the protests in the cities of Apolda, Hermsdorf, Kahla, Jena and Weimar. In Weimar, two criminal charges were filed for insult and attempted bodily harm. There were also protests in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, for example in Rostock. The police there spoke of around 270 participants. There were no incidents until the evening, said a spokesman.

According to the police, several hundred people also took to the streets in Cottbus against the high cost of living and the energy crisis. 100 to almost 200 demonstrators gathered in the surrounding area.