A week ago, a police officer was fatally attacked on Mannheim’s market square. As a result, gatherings at the location were banned. According to an emergency ruling by the Karlsruhe Administrative Court, the AfD can now demonstrate at the scene of the crime. This is clear from the court ruling from Thursday, which has been made available to the German Press Agency. The demonstration, which will be against Islamism among other things, is planned for 6 p.m. on Friday. A counter-demonstration by Antifa is to take place at the same time.
Last Friday, a 25-year-old Afghan injured five participants in a rally organized by the anti-Islam movement Pax Europa and a police officer with a knife. The 29-year-old officer, Rouven Laur, later succumbed to his injuries.
“Two days before the European elections, we want to demonstrate exactly where Islamist terror struck in order to send a clear political signal to the entire republic,” said AfD state chairman Markus Frohnmaier.
The city of Mannheim had banned rallies and gatherings on the market square and temporarily declared the square a memorial site for the police officer killed in a knife attack until June 16. “I believe it is important for us as a city community to be able to remember the murdered man and those injured by the attacker in peace and dignity,” said Mayor Christian Specht (CDU) on Tuesday.
The court wrote in its ruling: “It is highly doubtful whether the establishment of a memorial site on the occasion of a violent crime can still be seen as a matter of ongoing administration falling within the competence of the mayor.” The mayor’s general decree also probably does not meet the requirements for a ban on assembly.