Berlin mobilizes 5,500 police officers for May Day demos

More than 5,500 police officers from Berlin and other German states are to be deployed in the German capital on May 1 as left-wing groups hold rallies and demonstrations, reported dpa.

The demonstrations on May Day, which traditionally focus on workers' rights, have often got out of hand in the past. In recent years, however, the violence has decreased significantly.

Nevertheless, the Berlin police intend to accompany the demonstrations in the capital with thousands of officers and a great deal of technical equipment, including water cannons and evacuation vehicles.

The left-wing extremist scene remains a fundamental focus of the security authorities, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told the broadcaster Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND).

One in four left-wing extremists is now considered to be violence-orientated, she said.

More than 20 demonstrations have been registered in the capital, according to the latest figures. The largest of these is the Revolutionary May 1 demonstration by left-wing and left-wing extremist groups in the Berlin districts of Kreuzberg and Neukölln on Wednesday evening, with 10,000 participants expected.

The alliance of demonstration organizers announced that they would be demonstrating "in solidarity with the people of Gaza."

The alliance accused the police of arbitrarily deciding "what is covered by the constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of opinion and freedom of demonstration and what is directly prevented by force."

Recently, police shut down a Palestine congress and evacuated an outdoor Palestine protest camp in the government district of Berlin.