Fifteen thousand protest throughout Germany against war, police repression and the fascist right
By
our reporters
12 September 2018
Over the weekend more then 15,000 people protested in different German cities against the neo-Nazi right, police repression, war and social inequality.
The largest protest came Saturday, as 10,000 people demonstrated in Hanover against the Lower Saxony Police Law (NPOG). In addition to parties and civic organisations, the protest was supported by a number of football fan groups and smaller initiatives. Many of the demonstrators not only opposed the police law, but also the increasing lurch to the right in politics, militarism and growing social inequality.
The issue at the heart of the protest was the new police law. As in other German states, the powers of the security authorities are to be massively expanded and basic civil rights curtailed in Lower Saxony with the NPOG.
In the future, mere suspicion of an offence is sufficient to allow the police to resort to drastic measures. For example, in cases of “serious organised violence” or terrorist offences, police can force suspects to wear electronic ankle cuffs, thereby overriding the basic principle of innocent until proved guilty. Video surveillance in public spaces may be used under certain conditions even in cases of suspicion of “non-negligent misdemeanours.” The interception of telephone calls, emails and chat messages is also to be massively expanded and can be carried out at any time. For this purpose, so-called “State Trojans,” malware developed for the police, are to be used.
The Lower Saxony Interior Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) justified the new law as needed for the “deterrence of Islamic-motivated terrorism.” In…