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Leipzig (German news agency) – In Leipzig, a demonstration permitted by the authorities ended on Saturday with an outbreak of violence. After the police surrounded Alexis-Schumann-Platz in the southern suburbs and prohibited the protesters from marching, firecrackers and stones were thrown.
The situation and the reason for the police action were initially unclear. The protest rally was permitted under the motto “Freedom of assembly also applies in Leipzig”. The authorities had previously banned another demo entitled “Day X”, and the courts confirmed the ban. Left-wing groups had called for expressions of solidarity in Leipzig on Saturday after several left-wing extremists around Lina E., who last lived in the Connewitz district, were sentenced to several years in prison on Wednesday because they are said to have beaten right-wing radicals with extreme violence.
However, Lina E. was released immediately after the verdict because she had been in custody for over two years. Already on Saturday night there were clashes between the police and left-wing autonomists in Leipzig, several police officers were slightly injured, there was sometimes considerable damage to property and arrests.