In Berlin’s Schöneberg district, police were the target of a fierce attack. The officers were saved only thanks to a quick escape, reports the Bild daily. A festival and a left-wing demonstration took place on Sunday in a place called Roten Insel. According to the organizers, it was supposed to be a mix of protest, concert, party, workshop, and theater. In a blink of an eye, this “peaceful” action turned into a drama full of violence.
Police oversaw the smooth running of the event when they were called to a nearby playground on Mansteinstrasse because of someone destroying property. According to the police, the man responsible was detained.
However, the police had to use coercive means because the attacker violently defended himself. Before they could pacify him, they were surrounded by a crowd of about 40 people who attacked and harassed them.
One woman in the crowd knocked a police officer to the ground. When his colleagues tried to detain the woman, one of the men prevented them from doing so. The woman ran away and the man started fighting with the police.
The fights then began to spread – other people attacked the police from behind. Bottles flew through the air and the slogan “Berlin hates the police” was heard being chanted.
Some police officers got hit by glass bottles, and when they fell to the ground, the attackers were still kicking them. They were only brought to the safety of the police van by colleagues who used tear gas on the crowd.
However, the footage shows that not all the police officers managed to get into the car, so they ran along the car to flee from the crowd that was chasing them. Three police officers were injured during the incident, and two ended up in the hospital.
“Yesterday’s incident shows how little our colleagues are perceived as human beings and how violence against them appears to be completely legitimate in different parts of society,” said Benjamin Jendro, a spokesman for the Berlin police.
“It’s appalling that they can’t do their job without bottles flying at them and being expelled by a wild crowd,” Jendro added.
Title image: Police officers face with demonstrators during a May Day rally in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, May 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
