Police operation on Bernhardstraße and chaos in central Germany on July 15, 2025
In the heart of Leipzig, Germany, an emergency assembly titled "Solidarity with the Occupation at Bernhardstr. 28" was held on Tuesday morning, drawing around 70 people. The gathering was a response to the ongoing detention of Maja T., a non-binary activist from Germany who has been held in Hungary since December 2023 following a covert extradition operation.
The assembly, which ended peacefully around 11:00 AM, was a part of the ongoing solidarity movement for Maja T., who has been accused of violent attacks on suspected neo-Nazis in Budapest earlier this year. The demonstrators marched along Wurzner Street following the assembly, expressing their demands for Maja's return to Germany.
The current status of Maja T.'s case is concerning. They have been held in solitary confinement and remanded in custody in Hungary, where their health has significantly deteriorated due to a hunger strike. Their father recently visited and reported severe weight loss, leading to medical discussions about force-feeding or implanting a pacemaker.
A petition signed by over 100,000 people calling for Maja’s repatriation and release has been delivered to Germany’s Federal Foreign Office. However, the Office has been criticized by the Solidarity Committee for lacking the political will or means to intervene effectively.
Solidarity actions have taken place not just in Leipzig, but also in Hamburg and Bern, indicating a network of anti-fascist and activist groups mobilizing across German-speaking Europe. In Leipzig, anti-fascist activists recently staged a spontaneous demonstration in the Südvorstadt district, where they set off fireworks, distributed leaflets, and attacked a Green Party office to protest Maja’s extradition and detention.
The backdrop to this activism includes heightened tensions over free speech and protest rights in Germany, as illustrated by related cases such as that of Sven Liebich in Leipzig, highlighting broader ideological and legal conflicts within the country.
Meanwhile, Leipzig has been growing through immigration for many years, reflecting the diverse community that continues to support Maja T. and other activist causes.
In other news, Leipzig has been hit by severe storms since Tuesday afternoon, causing an increase in accidents, traffic disruptions, and fire department deployments. The fire department has been primarily dealing with damaged roofs, fallen trees, and branches. Regional S-Bahn services were also disrupted due to storm damage in Leipzig.
Elsewhere in Central Germany, a trial against a man accused of sexually abusing children has begun at the Dresden Regional Court. Prof. Dr. Christian Pieter Hoffmann is being analysed in an article about social network fragmentation. The Blood Bank at Leipzig University Hospital is urgently in need of blood donors.
In a separate development, a probable homicide in Thuringia has expanded its circle of suspects. A new attempt is being made to solve the birth puzzle in Leipzig. Lastly, Günter Thiele, a Leipzig painter, is having his new images analysed from a philosophical perspective.
The assembly in Leipzig, aside from general-news and politics, also addressed the case of Maja T., a non-binary activist detained in Hungary due to crime-and-justice issues. Furthermore, the city of Leipzig has been affected by severe weather conditions, leading to accidents, traffic disruptions, and fire department deployments.
