Searches after May Day demonstration in Gera

In the course of investigations into the left-wing scene following a demonstration on May 1st in Gera, the police have searched properties in several federal states. According to information from the public prosecutor's office in Gera on Wednesday, the charges relate to breach of the peace. According to dpa information from security circles, investigations are underway in Thuringia, Saxony, Baden-Württemberg, Hamburg and Lower Saxony. However, the "clear focus" is on Thuringia and Saxony, said a spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office in Gera. Possible evidence had been seized, the spokesperson said, particularly mobile devices and data carriers.

On May 1, Labor Day, there had been two major demonstrations in the eastern Thuringian city of Gera, each with hundreds of participants - one from the right-wing camp and a counter-demonstration from the predominantly left-wing camp. According to earlier police reports, several criminal charges were filed at the time - including incitement of the people, assault, resisting law enforcement officers and breach of the peace.

According to the police at the time, the timetable for the demonstrations was disrupted due to a train delay. In order to prevent the demonstrators from clashing, the police changed the route of the counter-demonstration. When an attempt was made to break through, the police took action and used batons and pepper spray, among other things, to fend it off. The action was later criticized and the issue was also discussed in the Thuringian state parliament's interior committee.

A spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office in Gera confirmed that the searches are now related to the attempted break-through at the time. The focus of the investigation is on the charge of breach of the peace, but there are also other charges, such as assault on law enforcement officers, resisting law enforcement officers and assault.