Riots on Opernplatz in Frankfurt am Main on July 19, 2020

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Frankfurt's Opernplatz in the evening

On the night of July 19, 2020, there were riots on Opernplatz in Frankfurt am Main , which attracted nationwide attention in the following days. As a result, the city of Frankfurt am Main ordered a nocturnal stay ban for part of the Opernplatz on weekends until September 6th .

Course of events

At around 2:30 a.m. on July 19, 2020, there was a fight between 25 to 30 people on Opernplatz. When police officers tried to resolve the dispute and approached a man with a bleeding wound, they were attacked by several people present. The “500 to 800 present” showed solidarity with the attackers, threw bottles at the police and applauded.

There were a total of 39 arrests . Five police officers were injured and several police vehicles were damaged. In addition, a bus stop on Opernplatz was badly damaged.

Suspects

According to police chief Gerhard Bereswill, the 39 people arrested were all young men between 17 and 23 years old, with the exception of one woman. 27 are Germans, mostly with a migration background, 12 come from Syria , Spain , Morocco and Turkey . The majority of those arrested were already known to the police for assault , theft or drug offenses . Investigations into serious breach of the peace and completed or attempted dangerous physical harm were initiated against the suspects .

Of the 39 suspects, 10 come from Frankfurt, the others from Offenbach, Hanau, Darmstadt, Limburg and Heidelberg. A residence ban from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. for the city of Frankfurt was issued against the rioters from the surrounding area. In addition, the suspect's residence status should be checked.

The public prosecutor's office did not request any arrest warrant for any of the arrested persons . Everyone was at large by July 21st. According to the authorities, there were no grounds for imprisonment such as risk of blackout, escape or repetition; a large number of the suspects are young people or adolescents and are “firmly rooted” in the region.

Reactions

Many reactions drew a parallel to the riots and looting in Stuttgart 2020 , as people there had also spontaneously turned aggressively against the police, whereupon many of those present showed their solidarity.

politics

The Lord Mayor of Frankfurt Peter Feldmann ( SPD ) emphasized in a statement that a red line had been crossed with the attacks on police officers. With all due consideration, the city administration must not allow such scenes to be repeated. He described the suspects who had come from the surrounding area as "riot tourists" and emphasized that he was "extremely optimistic that the city will get the situation on Opernplatz under control again".

As a result of the riots, a weekend stay and entry ban for part of the Opernplatz was decreed until September 6, 2020. On Saturdays and Sundays it is forbidden to enter the area around the Lucae fountain in front of the Alte Oper after midnight . In addition, this area is illuminated from midnight with floodlight vehicles from the technical relief organization . The restricted area will be completely cleared by the police by one in the morning. After that, no one except the Frankfurt city cleaning staff is allowed to stay in the restricted area of ​​Opernplatz until five in the morning.

The Minister of the Interior, construction and home Horst Seehofer called for in view of the riots in Frankfurt more respect for the police: "We need a return to a basic consensus in our society [...] police officers acting on behalf of the Community. You don't hit them, you don't spit on them, you don't insult them. "

The managing director of the German Association of Cities and Towns , Gerd Landsberg , demanded in the context of the riots in Stuttgart and Frankfurt that the municipalities should be empowered to a greater extent "to ban alcohol in certain areas or to block public areas for certain times".

police

Police President Gerhard Bereswill took a position on July 20 at a specially convened press conference. The 500 to 800 people gathered at Opernplatz cheered when a bottle hit the officials. "In terms of quality but also in terms of number, this is something that I have not yet experienced in Frankfurt."

Thomas Mohr, state director of the police union , described the rioters as “conspicuous young men who do not want to be integrated into our society.” Mohr drew a parallel to the riots in Stuttgart in the previous month: “The perpetrators, again mostly young men with a migration background those who have no respect for state institutions, no behavior, no appreciation for the property of other people, have no qualms about violating people. "

Press

In a comment for Deutschlandfunk , Ludger Fittkau expressed understanding for outdoor parties, as the clubs are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic . However, he adds: “But what doesn't work at all: Young men, with or without a migrant background, who brutally attack police officers who want to get an injured person out of a fight. And hundreds of people standing by and shouting ACAB : The abbreviation for "All cops are bastards". "

Jan Fleischhauer commented on the riots in Focus :

“In the riots in Frankfurt and Stuttgart, one thing in particular came to light: the total disrespect for the police. Anyone who throws beer bottles at police officers acts with the firm feeling that nothing can happen to them.

You can't even blame the young people for it: nothing happens to them either. Of the 39 arrested in Frankfurt, 31 were already at large the next day, the remaining eight on Monday. It could not be proven that the beer bottles actually hit a police officer, the public prosecutor said. "

- Jan Fleischhauer : Bring on the prejudices! How Germany solves a police problem. Column in Focus .

Simone Wagenhaus commented for the Frankfurter Neue Presse : “The horror at the attacks on the Opernplatz in Frankfurt is cheap, the enemy image of the police is now common. The aggression must have consequences. "

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Matthias Drobinski : Police, mayor and broom wagon - but no dancing mood. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . July 25, 2020, accessed July 25, 2020 .
  2. ↑ a b General decree for the Opernplatz. (PDF) City of Frankfurt am Main, July 23, 2020, accessed on July 28, 2020 .
  3. ↑ a b c No entry. In: The daily newspaper . July 20, 2020, accessed July 25, 2020 .
  4. ↑ a b Sophie Garbe, Svenja Meier and Simone Gaul: Why did the party escalate again? In: The time . July 20, 2020, accessed July 25, 2020 .
  5. ^ A b c d Riots in Frankfurt - What is behind the outbreaks of violence? tagesschau.de , July 20, 2020, accessed on July 25, 2020 .
  6. ↑ Karin Ceballos Betancur: Frankfurt nightlife - "We know who causes stress". In: The time . July 25, 2020, accessed July 26, 2020 .
  7. ^ A b Daniel Meuren, Katharina Iskandar: Nocturnal parking is valid until September. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . July 23, 2020, accessed on July 28, 2020 .
  8. ↑ a b After riots: City of Frankfurt imposes a ban on entering Opernplatz. In: Der Spiegel . July 20, 2020, accessed July 26, 2020 .
  9. ^ Katharina Iskandar, Helmut Schwan: Zapfenstreich for the Frankfurt Opernplatz. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . July 20, 2020, accessed July 29, 2020 .
  10. ↑ a b Katharina Iskandar: After riots on Opernplatz: The great eviction at midnight. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . July 25, 2020, accessed July 25, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Anger at the police - visitors to the Opernplatz feel discriminated against. July 26, 2020, accessed July 26, 2020 .
  12. ↑ a b "No behavior, no scruples" - policeman calls for consequences after a riot. In: The world . July 20, 2020, accessed July 25, 2020 .
  13. ↑ Ludger Fittkau : Riots in Frankfurt - Corona is the problem! Deutschlandfunk , July 20, 2020, accessed on July 25, 2020 .
  14. ↑ Jan Fleischhauer : Bring on the prejudices! How Germany solves a police problem. In: Focus . July 25, 2020, accessed July 26, 2020 .
  15. ↑ Comment on FNP of July 21, 2020.

Coordinates: 50 ° 6 ′ 55 ″  N , 8 ° 40 ′ 17 ″  E