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'Lina E' case: angry protests after German anti-fascists jailed
Progressives have taken to the streets across Germany, accusing the state of persecuting those who oppose fascism while proceeding far more slowly on crimes by neonazi groups, reports PEOPLE’S DISPATCH
Antifascists protest in Leipzig, Germany, Wednesday, May 31, 2023

PROGRESSIVE and anti-fascist groups have condemned the persecution of activists in Germany and the repression of protesters who raised their voices against the crackdown. On Saturday June 3, security forces violently cordoned off more than 1,000 demonstrators in the city of Leipzig.

They were protesting prison sentences given to anti-fascist activist Lina E (28) and three other co-defendants — Lennart A, Jonathan Philipp M, and Jannis R — by the Higher Regional Court of Dresden on May 31. The four were charged with attacks on far-right extremists between 2018 to 2022 and running a left-wing “extremist group.”

The court sentenced Lina E to five years and three months in prison and gave shorter sentences to the other three. Anti-fascist groups in Germany organised protest marches against the verdict in cities, including Berlin, on May 31. Far-right groups and parties like the Alternative for Germany welcomed the verdict.

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