Agency Report –
Berlin – A large right-wing extremist demonstration in Berlin ended prematurely on Saturday as hundreds of counter-protesters blocked the intended route of the marchers.
The rally leader called off the event after around four hours when participants got little further than their arrival point at the German capital’s eastern Ostkreuz train station, the police said.
According to official estimates, around 850 people – five times more than staged a similar march a month ago – gathered for the demonstration titled “For law and order. Against left-wing extremism and politically motivated violence.”
The march organizers spoke earlier of 1,200 participants expected. Meanwhile, the police reported that between 2,000 and 5,000 people protested vociferously against the neo-Nazi action.
Fifteen counter-protests ensued on the planned march route in the eastern city district of Friedrichshain, with hundreds of people blocking the road.
Around 1,500 officers were deployed to keep the two camps separate, while remaining mindful of the rights of both, the police said.
“We never protect the content of the assembly, but only the reason for the assembly itself, the freedom of assembly,” spokesman Florian Nath said in a video posted on X as the marchers assembled.
Despite a call for all sides to remain peaceful, a dpa reporter at the scene observed repeated scuffles amid a heated atmosphere.
According to a police spokeswoman, demonstrators from the left-wing camp tried to break through a cordon, prompting officers to use pepper spray. Some people were temporarily arrested.
Late on Saturday, Berlin Police said that more than 80 people had been arrested, most of them from the right-wing gathering. The force said that officers observed “unconstitutional symbols and forbidden salutes” at that gathering, as well as assault, use of abusive language and resistance to law enforcement.
More than 20 people were arrested amid the counter-protests for offences such as breach of peace and resistance to law enforcement, police continued in a post on social media platform X.
Police said that 11 officers were injured in total.
Three people were excluded from the neo-Nazi march earlier, police said. The people concerned had previously been arrested for displaying symbols of unconstitutional organizations. One man, for example, had performed a Hitler salute.
This is already the third demonstration by right-wing extremists since December 2024 under the same march title.
By Marion van der Kraats
