Mannheim is the focus. - Steinmeier attends moment of silence; various rallies scheduled.
On the market square in Mannheim, chancellor Frank-Walter Steinmeier will pay his respects at 11:34 am today, following the tragic murder of a police officer named Rouven Laur last week. Winfried Kretschmann, the region's chief minister, and Thomas Strobl, a CDU politician, will accompany him. Steinmeier will also place a wreath of flowers at the site of the heinous crime.
At dusk, the Alternative for Germany party (AfD) has organized a demonstration at 6:00 pm on the same square. The purpose of the rally includes opposition to Islamism, and other socio-political issues. Simultaneously, a counter-demonstration by Antifa is planned.
The horrific incident occurred last Friday when a 25-year-old Afghan stabbed five attendees at a rally for Pax Europa, an Islam-critical organization, as well as one police officer. Laur later succumbed to his injuries.
In response to the homicide, a gathering by the German Trade Union Federation's Mannheim chapter and other democratic parties and religious groups is scheduled to start at 4:30 pm to initiate protests against Laur's murder and support for diversity. At 5:30 pm, the "Mannheim gegen Rechts" alliance will also congregate to protest against the AfD's rally.
In a court hearing on Thursday, the Administrative Court of Karlsruhe obliged a plea by the AfD to bypass a city-enforced prohibition on events, such as demonstrations, on the market square. Originally, the city of Mannheim had sanctioned the area as a memorial for their fallen officer and banned gatherings there.
