Steel balls fired at police at anti-war demonstration in Cologne – eleven officers injured
At a demonstration in Cologne, masked participants attacked police officers with steel balls, kicks and fire extinguishers. Eleven officers were injured and police launched criminal proceedings.
Masked protesters fire steel balls at police at Cologne anti-war demo
At a demonstration in Cologne city centre, participants fired steel balls at police officers, kicked and struck them, and sprayed them with fire extinguishers. Eleven officers were injured, one of whom was no longer fit for duty. This is reported by BILD citing police.
The protest took place on Saturday afternoon. Several thousand people marched through the city centre under the motto "Peace for all in the world" – only 400 people had registered, but around 3,000 were estimated to have taken part. The anti-war coalition "Rheinmetall Disarm" is calling for an end to weapons deliveries, a move away from conscription and an end to military operations.
Immediately after the march began, some masked participants threw paint bags at a bank building and set off pyrotechnics. Shortly afterwards, the situation escalated: masked protesters attacked police officers with blows and kicks and sprayed them with fire extinguishers, according to police.
At around 15:10, officers cordoned off approximately 300 demonstrators in the Magnusstraße area. "We will now check their identities," a police spokesman told BILD. From this cordoned-off group, masked individuals fired steel balls at police officers in a targeted manner, according to police. The metal projectiles were found embedded in parts of the officers' uniforms; riot helmets were also damaged.
To prevent further attacks, police used what they described as "simple physical force". During this, one demonstrator reportedly attempted to grab a service weapon.
According to a spokesman for the anti-war coalition, Charlie Fitscher, people on the demonstrators' side were also injured: "Alone at the camp, 80 people were treated today." Police launched criminal proceedings for dangerous assault and serious breach of the peace.
On Thursday, around 100 members of the coalition had temporarily blocked a Bundeswehr barracks in Cologne. Additionally, some activists glued themselves to the pavement in front of a Rheinmetall facility in Bonn.
Source: BILD