Saxony's Interior Minister condemns right-wing extremist protests at the CSD in Bautzen

Saxony's Interior Minister Armin Schuster has strongly condemned the protests by right-wing extremist groups at Christopher Street Day (CSD) in Bautzen in eastern Saxony. "It's horrible," said the CDU politician in the podcast "Junge Politik in Sachsen" on Sachsen Fernsehen. He emphasized that the protection of the event had had the highest priority.

According to the police, more than 1,000 people took part in the CSD demonstration on Saturday, while around 680 people took part in the counter-demonstration under the slogan "Against gender propaganda and identity confusion!!!". The small right-wing extremist party Freie Sachsen had also called for a protest. "The fact is that there was a registered, unprohibited, right-wing gathering. We have to guarantee that. It is horrible. But the right of assembly also applies to these atrocious acts of bad taste," emphasized Schuster.

According to the police, the CSD ended without any serious incidents. The participants "were able to complete their march and rally peacefully and without disruption", according to a final report. At the end of the demonstration, they were escorted to the train station by officers. The police initiated 14 criminal proceedings and 7 misdemeanor proceedings in connection with the demonstrations. One case involved bodily harm, two cases involved incitement to hatred and one case involved the use of symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations.