Proposal for Designated Alcohol-Free Zones Resurfaces as a Controversial Debate Topic
In a twist of events two years ago, the far-right party stirred up a commotion in Leipzig city council proposing alcohol-free zones. This proposal, lacking substance but brimming with ulterior motives, aimed to stigmatize certain neighborhoods, deviating dramatically from the city's reality. The Leipzig public order office promptly dismissed the idea, deeming it unfeasible and ineffective.
Despite this, the AfD faction, notorious for its obsession with restrictions, didn't withdraw the idea but allowed it to gather dust.
A Fruitless Ban
In its response, the public order office made it crystal clear that the idea of enforcing alcohol bans on entire urban areas was impractical and ineffective. It was an inappropriate solution to the myriad, often intricate problems in these areas.
"The city administration is unconvinced of the benefits of alcohol-free zones," the public order office stated bluntly. "We see a lack of evidence that alcohol-free zones accomplish their alleged purpose. By establishing such zones, all alcohol consumers in the area would be subjected to general suspicion. Not all consumers, however, behave disruptively or endanger others or property."
In essence, the public order office was hinting at the true intention behind the AfD faction's shallow proposal—casting a net of suspicion over entire urban areas.
"The establishment of alcohol-free zones would constitute a significant infringement on various rights, which would need to be weighed carefully and critically," the public order office continued. "The police and the police authority already have sufficient means to address persons who disturb others or commit acts of violence against individuals or property."
Useless for Addiction Prevention
Moreover, the public order office debunked the flimsy argument that such alcohol-free zones could help with addiction prevention.
"Alcohol-free zones do not contribute to addiction prevention," the public order office stressed emphatically. "The affected individuals would likely seek other places to consume alcohol. It is anticipated that displacement processes would occur, accompanied by street work and other measures. On the contrary, endangered individuals would become less accessible to street work by retreating to other, possibly initially unknown, consumption sites."
The exact scenario played out when the police intensified their crackdown on dealers and drug consumers in the targeted areas. The strategy didn't curb addiction but simply drove the problem into neighboring city quarters. This issue has been discussed extensively during council meetings, with every addiction report addressing it.
Yet, it appears that this valuable information doesn't seem to interest the controlling blue faction. They care little for the actual social issues underlying many of the violent conflicts in the targeted areas. Alcohol serves as at most a catalyst for these issues.
The stance the AfD faction takes on the Leipzig drug reports seems to be, "Eisenbahnstraße, Ramdohrscher Park, Bürgermeister-Müller-Park, Stuttgarter Allee, areas around Hauptbahnhof/Schwanenteich and Lindenauer Market—all these streets, squares, green spaces make up Leipzig's drug hotspots and crime hotspots."
The Leipzig police have been attempting to combat these "drug hotspots" for years. Slapping an alcohol ban on top of it wouldn't change the fundamental problems.
Before that, creating such a ban would generate a lot of work, as the public order office points out: "In particular, with regard to the establishment of alcohol ban zones on other public areas under § 33 (2) SächsPBG, as requested in No. 1 of the resolution proposal, it should be noted that a comprehensive process would be required to determine the legal prerequisites."
The effort involved in creating a local burden analysis, which would be necessary as a foundation to assess whether the conditions of § 33 (2) SächsPBG are met, is not justified given the doubts raised above."
Not to mention the anticipated workload for the police and public order office, who would have to enforce the alcohol ban during evening and night hours.
- The city administration reiterated their skepticism towards alcohol-free zones in public announcements, citing a lack of evidence supporting their effectiveness and voicing concerns about the potential infringement on citizens' rights.
- In light of the Leipzig police's experience with drug hotspots and crime, it was suggested that enforcing an alcohol ban would not address the fundamental problems in these areas, and might even lead to the displacement of alcohol consumption, making it more difficult to reach endangered individuals with necessary social services.
