Police at the May Day demonstration in Berlin Photo: JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP
From the BZ editorial team
May 1st was more peaceful in Berlin than it had been for a long time. But during the night there was an ugly scene on Oranienstrasse.
The first balance of the Berlin police on May 1st was surprising. “There are indications that it was the most peaceful May since 1987,” a police spokesman said shortly before midnight on Monday evening.
According to the control center, there were no significant incidents until the early morning. Police reported nine arrests at the traditional May Day demonstration of leftist and left-wing extremist groups. According to previous knowledge, a police officer was injured, the spokesman said.
But there were also scenes that resonated. A video on Twitter shows police officers walking along Oranienstrasse in Kreuzberg and an officer simply knocking over a man on the street.
When asked by the BZ on Tuesday morning, a police spokeswoman said that the video was known and was being evaluated.
Compared to the “daily mirror“Police spokesman Martin Halweg justified the operation with the defense against dangers from moving cars. There was a “large number of people celebrating in front of cafes and pubs”. That’s fine, but not if they’re also partying on the street. “As the police, we can’t just stand by.”