According to the media, the police were prepared for a large-scale operation on Saturday. The 8,000 registered participants for the demonstration ” Hands off our children” are realistic, said press spokesperson Holger Vehren in the run-up. Jusos, Green Youth and other representatives of the left to extreme left political spectrum had announced a total of three counter-demonstrations (including: “Against Nazis! Against Schwurbler*innen! Against Querfront”). The police expected 1,000 participants at these events.
The demonstration under this motto is nothing new in Hamburg – it has already been taking place regularly for weeks. But this weekend, in addition to the larger police contingent, there are new factors. First and foremost, the Senate’s new Corona regulations are taking effect. Among them is the obligation to wear a mask at demonstrations, including a fine of 150 euros for those who refuse to wear a mask. The police would have enough people on the ground to control this.
On the other hand, there is the scandal that was uncovered a few days ago about the false figures of Hamburg’s mayor Peter Tschentscher ( Social Democratic Party of Germany). Tschentscher had claimed on November 16 that more than 90 percent of infections would occur in unvaccinated people. Such figures were used to justify the Corona measures in the Hanseatic city. But now it turns out: in 63.2 percent of the cases, the vaccination status of the newly infected is unknown.
According to the police, there were about 11,000 participants. This is not only more than the expected 8,000 people, but also significantly more than a week ago when, according to officials, around 5,000 people demonstrated – at that time still without masks. The “Tschentscher effect” probably drove some Hamburgers onto the streets even on a chilly December evening.
https://www.tichyseinblick.de/daili-es-sentials/hamburg-demo-corona-massnahmen-18122021/