Munich (dpa) – Numerous protests and actions are expected around the IAA Mobility auto show.
The alliance “sand in the gears” wants to block the fair next Friday with “thousands of people”, and prevent a smooth process, as a spokeswoman said on Monday. Tens of thousands of participants are expected to participate in a demonstration and a bike rally by the #Balancing Alliance. Observers expect observers to take various other actions against the fair.
The # disembarking demonstrations are supported by a broad alliance of Greenpeace, the Association for the Environment and Nature Conservation Germany (BUND), the Friends of Nature Germany and the ADFC bicycle club. The police expect up to 35,000 participants in the bicycle rally and 10,000 in the demonstration on foot, both actions should end on Saturday around 2.30 p.m. on the Theresienwiese.
However, the organizers are still arguing with the city about the exact routes for the bicycle rally. The first meeting announcements were made eleven months ago and only received the message from the city on Friday that 3 of 16 routes planned for the bicycle rally would be banned next Saturday, said Andreas Schön from the ADFC bicycle club on Monday. This was “an absolute absurdity,” he criticized. This is not how you deal with protest in a democracy.
The dispute over the demonstration routes will probably also occupy the judiciary. Schön announced that the bans would be dealt with legally. But so far there has been no written, legal remedial notice. On the other hand, there is already a dispute in court about whether cycling can also use motorways.
And there was already a legal dispute between the organizers of the mobility reversal camp on Theresienwiese and the city. The alliance had sued against conditions for a protest camp on the Theresienwiese. The district administration department had not approved the provision of vegan food for all of the expected 1,500 participants in the “Mobiliätswendecamp” on a donation basis and to set up circus tents for educational events. In an urgent ruling, the Munich Administrative Court allowed vegan catering for all participants on Monday, but prohibited setting up the tents.
Marion Tiemann from Greenpeace emphasized that the IAA was not credible despite the new concept. It is only “a spectacle” and if you look behind the scenes, “you find the same dirty business”. The auto industry refuses to take part in averting the worst of the climate crisis. You are now taking to the streets here in Munich to change that.
The Munich police are expecting the IAA this week with their biggest mission in 20 years. Up to 4,500 police officers are planned. Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) warned in advance of violent protests, but the climate activists rejected this and emphasized that they would not cause any violence.
The alliance has not yet revealed what exactly “sand in the gears” is planning on Friday. At the last IAA in Frankfurt two years ago, activists blocked the main entrance for hours.