Disruption of a Green Party meeting by an unannounced protest in Bamberg

A Green Party rally in the district of Bamberg has been disrupted by an unannounced protest, according to police. A spokesperson for the Upper Franconia police headquarters said on Thursday that the police were investigating the action for violations of assembly or criminal law.

According to the report, around 300 people gathered in Hirschaid on Wednesday evening with more than 60 tractors and cars. At the same time, the Green Party district association wanted to hold its annual general meeting. The protest action was a spontaneous gathering and there had been no registration. There were several disruptive actions, the report continued: floodlights were shone into the meeting room, filming was carried out, windows were knocked on and a siren was switched on. After the end of the meeting, the participants were escorted to their vehicles in small groups by the police.

The head of the Green parliamentary group in the state parliament, Katharina Schulze, called for the incidents to be investigated: Freedom of expression and freedom of assembly were part of the core of democracy, "but a disruptive action like last night in Hirschaid is absolutely unacceptable". Volunteers were intimidated and the planned event could not be held. "This is another warning signal for all people in our country. It is important that this incident is now dealt with at the highest level."

The Bavarian Farmers' Association (BBV) in Upper Franconia distanced itself from the action, saying it had nothing to do with it, a representative of the office emphasized on Thursday.