Leipzig: What if the demonstration after the judgment in the Antifa Ost process is forbidden?

A few weeks ago, the police, in cooperation with various media, began to prepare a possible ban on the demonstration (https://kontrapolis.info/10353/) by explaining how "dangerous" this demonstration will be. As a reminder, several left-wing demonstrations for October 23, 2021 in Leipzig were banned. The reasoning behind this will certainly also be used for the "Day X" demonstration.(https://edas.landtag.sachsen.de/viewer.aspx?dok_nr=8026&dok_art=Drs&leg_...).

In October 2021, almost 2,500 cops were deployed across the city to implement this bans, 11 water cannons were ready, 70 vehicles with 130 people on the way to Leipzig were checked.(https://www.lvz.de/lokales/leipzig/polizei-sichert-leipzig-mit-grossaufg...)

The BILD newspaper claimed to know the police's plans for the "Day X" demonstration in Leipzig: 2,500 cops are said to be on duty and arrivals to be monitored. This scenario is similar to the one which lead to a ban in October 2021. This once more speaks for the possibility of a ban on the Tag-X-demonstration in Leipzig. The cops also confirmed their numbers with more than 2000 cops being on duty to other media:https://www.nd-aktuell.de/artikel/1173316.antifaschismus-prozess-gegen-l...

Also on May 1, 2021 there were bans on demonstrations in Leipzig, mainly from the right-wing spectrum. In order to implement these bans, the police checked 675 vehicles on the way to Leipzig.

It is uncertain whether the organizers of the "Tag X" demo (https://tagxantifaost.noblogs.org/) will have the opportunity to file a lawsuit against a possible ban. Organizers in Saxony often receive ban orders at such short notice that it is not always possible to take legal action against these court rulings before the day of the demonstration. People who want to attend the demonstration and even the organizers often don't know if the demonstration will be taking place or not. This insecurity is intended and planned by the cops and the assembly authorities. People should be deterred from going to the demonstration or traveling to it. Organizers are deprived of the opportunity to defend themselves legally in good time before the manifestation.

So if there is talk of a "ban" beforehand, come to Leipzig anyway. We cannot and must not accept another ban on our demonstrations. If we are deterred by potential bans, the authorities will use this tool again and again to prevent us from coming together and taking the streets together. Just keep some things in mind.

The police will try to prevent people from outside coming to Leipzig. To avoid this, it is advisable to arrive well before Saturday. Checkpoints for cars and buses around the city are likely on Friday and Saturday.

The main train station will also be monitored and people arriving by train will be checked. On New Year's Eve 2018, the Federal Police issued 900 evictions at Leipzig Central Station to alleged "potential troublemakers" (https://www.lvz.de/lokales/leipzig/darum-riegelte-die-polizei-den-hauptb...).

So come to Leipzig earlier and if that's not possible, think about how you can bypass checkpoints and try not to fit into the cops' grid visually.

The examples are intended to show that the Leipzig police have occupied the city several times in the past and implemented widespread repression against its population. If the demonstration is not banned in terms of content, the police can also declare a "police emergency". This has often happened in the past in connection with marches by the extreme right in Leipzig.

Early on Antifascists  criticized this practice under the motto "Antifa instead of bans!". What is meant by this is that Neo-Nazi marches should be made impossible by anti-fascists and not by the state's practice of prohibiting them. This will ultimately affect left-wing demonstrations as well. Left-wing demonstrations have already been banned twice in Leipzig, the last time, as already mentioned, in October 2021. (https://kontrapolis.info/5660/).

As part of the "police emergency" the cops claim that they do not have enough police units available to ensure the saftey of the demonstration. Concerts, football games, smaller meetings or city festivals (https://www.lvz.de/lokales/leipzig/3-juni-in-leipzig-groenemeyer-sachsen...) can  take place, other unwelcome gatherings can be forbidden under the pretense of not being able to provide saftey.

Important for all organizers of meetings in the period from June 2nd to 4th in Leipzig and Saxony, do not cancel your events because you think that people will only go to Leipzig for the day X demonstration.

Your registrations will already be listed for the argumentation of the "police emergency", deregistration will no longer change this. Hold on to your registrations and meetings in Leipzig and Saxony and think about how you can show solidarity with the convicted anti-fascists in the Antifa East trail and with the possible ban on the Tag-X-Demonstration - united we stand.

There may also be other cities that can step in if the "Day X" demo in Leipzig is banned, such as Berlin, which would not be as easy to seal off as Leipzig.

Further events related to the end of the trial

There are already several announcements for demonstrations on the day of the verdict in the Antifa Ost trial in Dresden, feel free to organise more.

The following is a collection of events in Saxony during the period of the verdict or related to the Antifa Ost trial:
    
Demonstration Dresden in front of the court:

On the day of the verdict in the Antifa Ost trial there will be a rally in Dresden in front of the court.

Demonstrations on the day of the verdict:
    
    Bremen - https://de.indymedia.org/node/201965
    Dresden - https://www.soli-antifa-ost.org/x/
    Hamburg - https://de.indymedia.org/node/273107
    Hannover - https://de.indymedia.org/node/268801
    Leipzig - https://www.soli-antifa-ost.org/x/
    Stuttgart - https://www.soli-antifa-ost.org/x/
    
    
1 June at 6pm there will be a public plea by the defence in the Antifa Ost trial - https://ea-dresden.site36.net/ein-oeffentliches-plaedoyer-einblicke-der-...

1 June at 5 p.m. there will be the "Day of the Youth" demonstration in Leipzig from Johannisplatz, as every year.

2 June rally in front of the Hungarian embassy in Berlin - https://de.indymedia.org/node/279073

3 June feminist protests against the Christian and fundamentalist "Silent March" in Annaberg-Buchholz in Saxony.