Police Ban German Far-Right New Year’s Eve Protest in Cologne

Police in Cologne have banned the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) from holding a demonstration at the Cologne cathedral square on New Year’s Eve over safety concerns.

The far-right party had intended to hold a demonstration at the scene of the mass sex attacks which occurred on New Year’s Eve of last year. The party had made a formal request via a private individual to hold the demonstration, but police expressed doubts that the safety of the participants or of the public could be maintained, Der Spiegel reports.

Police gave a statement on the matter saying that holding the event could lead to “serious threats to public security, which can not be countered.” {snip}

Despite the ban on the demonstration, the Cologne branch of the NPD still advertises the New Year’s Eve protest on their Facebook page. The event, entitled “Rally: Because an arm’s length distance is not longer sufficient,” is a clear attack on controversial Cologne mayor Henriette Reker who told women to defend themselves against migrant attackers by “keeping them at arm’s length.”

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The security situation in the Cologne cathedral square is set to drastically increase since last year when police were unable to handle the hundreds of migrants who attacked women with fireworks, robbed them, and sexually assaulted hundreds. Authorities have promised that the cathedral square will have checkpoints to confirm the identities of those attending, a massive police presence, and they may even employ helicopters to maintain order.