Opponents of the defence industry and arms supplies, including to Ukraine, organised a multi-day rally in the German city of Kassel.
Police regarded the protesters’ actions as aggressive and today tried to disperse them using gas canisters and rubber truncheons. A helicopter was also deployed. Several police officers were injured in the clashes, Telegram channel Signal reported, citing Deutsche Welle.
Protesters threw parts of the construction site fence at police officers. One of the activists ripped off a police officer’s helmet and threw him through the gate. Two people were detained and charged with resisting law enforcement officers and violating the ban on covering one’s face.
The initiator of the event, the association Razorisch Rheinmetall (a German defence concern), opposes arms exports by German manufacturers, in particular in connection with the situation in Ukraine.
The protest in Kassel, which began the previous evening, is scheduled to last until Sunday, 4 September.