Comment on the blockage of a cement plant in Leimen: Protests against industry were foreseeable

April 8, 2025

We are committed to both the right to property and the right to freedom of expression and demonstration – essential pillars of our democracy. At the same time, the state’s monopoly on the use of force as a guarantor of security and order must be brought to the forefront of the discussion. The police have the task of ensuring the protection of property and means of production and of taking a firm stand against extremist behavior.

The action in Leimen, where radical activists blocked a cement plant for eight hours, shows that swift and consistent action is essential in such incidents. Owners and business stakeholders have a legitimate interest in threats against their production sites being immediately averted and these places quickly cleared. A passive approach on the part of the police cannot be justified – as the guarantor of law and order, the police must intervene to clearly separate the democratically legitimized freedom of demonstration from radical actions and attacks on corporate property.

See also the report from April 9, 2025: https://www.welt.de/vermischtes/article255889704/Leimen-Zementwerk-fuer-8-Stunden-blockiert-Radikale-Aktivisten-kleben-sich-fest.html?wtrid=socialmedia.socialflow….socialflow_twitter

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