Schmölln (dpa/th) – The police broke up an illegal right-wing rock concert in Altenburger Land on Sunday night. Around 70 people had gathered in a commercial property in Schmölln, as the state operations center announced on Sunday. Police officers noticed a large number of vehicles with national license plates in front of the site late on Saturday evening, and loud music with right-wing extremist ideas came from the object. Additional police forces were called in to break up the unregistered concert.

The emergency services determined the identity of the participants and issued space references. A preliminary investigation into resistance against law enforcement officials had been initiated against a 33-year-old participant. A police spokesman could not say on Sunday how many right-wing rock musicians or bands were there.

In the years before the corona pandemic, Thuringia was considered a nationwide focus for concerts by the right-wing extremist scene, with festivals sometimes attracting thousands of visitors. In 2020 and 2021, the Corona requirements made large right-wing rock concerts impossible. Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD) recently identified a change in concert strategy within the scene. He said there were no larger open-air festivals this year even after the corona restrictions were lifted. Instead, the scene shifts more to smaller so-called song recitals.