Neo-Nazis gather for Christopher Street Day in Leipzig

One week after the right-wing extremist protests at the CSD in Bautzen in eastern Saxony, neo-Nazis gathered for Christopher Street Day in Leipzig. Several violations of the Criminal Code and the Assembly Act were detected, as the Leipzig police headquarters announced on X. After "a final discussion with the assembly authorities", the organizer ended the event with 300 to 400 people at the main train station after a short time. The participants are currently still being detained there "in order to carry out all criminal proceedings".

Abnormalities already on arrival

As the police reported on X, the participants of the far-right rally already displayed "behavior typical of an assembly and in some cases aggressive or militant behavior" on arrival. They were subjected to an identity check and searched for dangerous objects.

Authorities react

According to the police, the authorities banned "gatherings that are in context or could serve as substitute events" for Saturday in the city area due to the incidents.

According to the police, several thousand people have gathered on Augustusplatz for the CSD since the morning. The authorities are prepared for a large-scale operation due to the events in Bautzen, the corresponding danger situation and the political dimension.

For the right-wing protest under the motto "proud, German, national" at the main station, up to 1,000 people were originally registered, and the CSD with its large demonstration was to pass within earshot and sight. In addition, the alliance "Leipzig nimmt Platz" has registered several rallies under the motto "No place for Nazis".

A week ago, the CSD in Bautzen was accompanied by right-wing extremist protests. The more than 1,000 participants faced a counter-demonstration of around 680 people with the slogan "Against gender propaganda and identity confusion!!!". The small right-wing extremist party Freie Sachsen had also called for a protest - for security reasons, the CSD organizers cancelled the planned closing party the day before.