From the BZ editorial team
On Sunday evening, a demonstration by women entitled “Take back the night” began on Walpurgis Night at Mariannenplatz in Kreuzberg.
According to initial information from the police, there were around 2,000 participants. They started around 9 p.m. in the direction of Schlesisches Tor. The train later grew to about 3,300 people.
According to the Berlin police, pyrotechnics and bottles were thrown at police officers from the demo elevator. It is not yet clear if anyone was injured.
One person was arrested at the Take Back The Night demo on Sunday night Photo: REUTERS/Christian Mang
A stone was also thrown at the police. At least one woman was arrested. Again and again there were skirmishes with the police.
Demonstrators set fire to the roof of Bethany Bengalos Photo: REUTERS/Christian Mang
There were also anti-police chants, firecrackers set off and Bengal fire burned, including from the roof of the Bethanien. The end of the elevator is announced for midnight.
The police stopped the demonstration twice on the way from Mariannenplatz in the direction of the Schlesisches Tor and called for peacefulness.
The police stopped the demo on the way from Mariannenplatz towards Schlesisches Tor Photo: Michael Körner
In some cases, the police took umbrellas from demonstrators who used them as privacy screens. In the call to the demonstration, all participants were asked to bring umbrellas.
Scuffle between police and demonstrators over a banner Photo: REUTERS/Christian Mang
At the same time, the police in the Viktoriapark in Kreuzberg ended “an unauthorized concert by a rapper,” as they announced on Twitter.
In the evening, the police also kept an eye on the parks, where many people had gathered because of the good weather. “Our helicopter is now getting an overview of the situation in the well-frequented parks in northern Berlin,” the police tweeted.
Police officers at the “Take Back The Night” demo on the evening of Walpurgis Night in Berlin Photo: REUTERS/Christian Mang
One wants to determine where there is a particular crowd, because there have always been smaller riots in previous years, according to the police.
The well-filled Mauerpark on Sunday evening Photo: Spreepicture
It was very crowded into the evening, for example in the Mauerpark, in the Gleisdreieckpark and in Treptower Park, where smaller parties were celebrated on the meadows.
According to the information, up to 3,400 police officers were on duty on Sunday. Support came from Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Thuringia, Schleswig-Holstein and from the federal police. The Lower Saxony even sent a police helicopter to Berlin for reinforcements.
Police officers face the participants of the “Take Back The Night” demo Photo: REUTERS/Christian Mang
In the afternoon, the mood among the Berlin police was still relaxed enough to rhyme in one of their Walpurgis Night tweets:
The potential for riots in the capital is high. Again and again there are riots and riots on May 1st. They are feared again this year. 6300 police officers will be on duty on Monday.
A “FANTIFA” poster at the “Take Back The Night” demo – a participant holds a Bengalo Photo: REUTERS/Christian Mang
► Above all, the Revolutionary May Day demonstration on Monday afternoon causes tension among the police and local residents every year. Up to 2500 people will therefore join the “Anarcho Block”, also known as the “Black Block”. The police classified 500 of them as “militant” and “violent seekers”.
Already on Saturday night, a left-wing mob rampaged through Berlin-Mitte, targeting dozens of vehicles and shops on Seydelstrasse.