A public gathering commemorating the 200th birth anniversary of Friedrich Engels in his hometown Wuppertal in Germany, on Sunday 29th November, was marked by police violence. The report comes from “Engelsbündnis”, a group that organizes events in honor of the great philosopher and revolutionary since 2015. Taking into account the pandemic the gathering was successful but was marked with local police's "extreme arbitrariness and aggression".
"The police continued to threated to dissolve the demonstration. Meanwhile, there was an attack on our participants during which the police brutally entered the demonstration and immediately made use of batons. The demonstrators, however, showed high discipline and repelled the police attack", reads a statement by the group.
As “Engelsbündnis” point out, the police forces increased their presence throughout the rally, in front of the town hall and Engelsgarten, despite the fact that the demonstration was completely peaceful. The organizers have protested against the unacceptable behavior of police forces by demanding an explanation from the city authorities of Wuppertal and the local police.
