Berlin braces for May Day protests after last year's violent clashes
Berlin (dpa/bb) – Berlin's Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD) has called for a peaceful and calm May Day. "People can and should demonstrate—but please do so peacefully," Spranger told the dpa news agency on the sidelines of a press conference. "In recent years, we've seen that May 1st has gone very, very smoothly in Berlin. And we are well prepared."
Spranger noted that the Senate, police, fire department, and public prosecutor's office had coordinated closely, with the state parliament (Abgeordnetenhaus) also involved. She expressed confidence that the day would again pass without major incidents.
Over 70 Arrests Last Year
While May Day 2023 was largely peaceful, police still detained more than 70 people for offenses and disturbances during demonstrations. Many cases involved bottle and firecracker attacks or unconstitutional propaganda.
According to reports, 13 officers were injured, 10 of them lightly. A total of 5,800 police—including 2,200 from other federal states and the Federal Police—were deployed throughout the day to monitor the numerous protests.
2023: Black Bloc of Left-Wing Autonomists at End of March
The large left-wing to far-left demonstration in the evening in Kreuzberg and Neukölln drew between 15,000 and 18,000 participants, according to police, though organizers claimed 30,000 attendees. Despite an at times highly aggressive atmosphere, there were no major clashes or outbreaks of violence as seen in past decades.
Anti-Israel chants were heard, and flares and smoke bombs were set off. Some demonstrators wore masks, including many in the so-called black bloc of left-wing autonomists at the rear of the march.
In the evening, on the fringes of the protest, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) was verbally abused and aggressively harassed by demonstrators while walking on the street. Lauterbach had to flee under the protection of bodyguards from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA).
A year ago, the Police Union (GdP) emphasized that, given the injured officers, attacks on police, and antisemitic slogans, May Day could not be considered peaceful.
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