Berlin police put 6,300 officers on patrol across the German capital as thousands took to the streets to mark May Day on Monday
BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st May, 2023) Berlin police put 6,300 officers on patrol across the German capital as thousands took to the streets to mark May Day on Monday.
Some 20,000 left-leaning demonstrators are expected to take part in numerous May 1 rallies throughout Berlin.
Demonstrations began on Sunday night, known as Walpurgis Night, with some 3,300 police officers from Berlin and other states enforcing public order.
Some 650 people took part in a gathering in the central Wedding neighborhood held under the motto "Peace Instead of Capitalism."
A queer-feminist march called "Take Back the Night" brought some 3,300 into the streets of the culturally diverse Kreuzberg locality. Police intervened after demonstrators started throwing flares and bottles at them and a journalist was punched in the chest.
As of Monday morning, 13 demonstrators were detained and 11 police officers were hurt.
Peaceful demonstrations continued into the afternoon. The German Trade Union Confederation staged a rally in Friedrichshain in Berlin's east, while a climate-minded MyGruni demonstration against energy crisis and homelessness took place in the forested locality of Grunewald.
A large-scale rally against the soaring cost of living is planned for Monday night. The traditional Revolutionary May 1 march was called by a hard-left group of anti-capitalists and is expected to draw 15,000 into the streets of Berlin.
