MSeveral thousand people protested on Sunday against a march by right-wing extremists to mark the anniversary of the destruction of Dresden in World War II. According to the police, almost 5,000 people took part in the counter-protest in the pouring rain. The police counted almost 1,000 participants in the right-wing extremist demonstration. The police were on duty with a large contingent.
The right-wing extremists' elevator route on the edge of Dresden's city center was hermetically sealed, a dpa reporter reported. At one point counter-demonstrators tried to get onto the route. The police prevented that. As she announced on X, around 150 people were taken into police action. Identities have been established.
The police had previously stated the goal of separating the camps and intervening in the event of possible blockades. She had prepared for a “confrontational meeting situation”. The Saxon police said they were supported by officers from Thuringia, Brandenburg, Hamburg, Bavaria and Hesse as well as the federal police. A helicopter circled over Dresden and mounted police were also on site.
The counter-protest turned to loud chants against the right-wing extremist march. According to observations by the dpa reporter, pyrotechnics were occasionally ignited. Once a root was thrown. Three demonstrations had united in the counter-protest.
Dresden was badly damaged in Allied air raids from February 13, 1945. According to research by historians, up to 25,000 people lost their lives. Right-wing extremists have been using the commemoration for years to organize so-called funeral marches.
By Sunday afternoon, the police had initiated 14 criminal proceedings. According to spokesman Thomas Geithner, five of these were directed against the right-wing camp, the rest against counter-demonstrators. The latter involved, among other things, disguises. According to the police, two participants in the right-wing march wore quartz gloves or protective gloves. In his initial conclusion, Geithner spoke of an overall peaceful day for Dresden.
According to the police, no parade from the right-wing camp is planned on the actual anniversary of the destruction this Tuesday. There are 25 meetings and nine events registered, five of which are from the right and the lateral thinker scene, 14 from the left and six from the civil spectrum. Some of them are “placeholders” to occupy locations in Dresden.