A lay judges panel in Gifhorn, a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on Tuesday convicted three men who, after taking part in an anti-Pride demonstration, brutally attacked and injured a woman, according to the Braunschweiger Zeitung (paywalled article).
The three men, aged 22 to 25, were each sentenced to a probation period of one year and nine months. Two of them must also pay fines of 450 and 1,500 euros, while one was ordered to perform 80 hours of community service. In addition, all three were subject to reporting obligations and assigned probation officers.
The defendants had been part of a group of 19 far-right extremists who attempted to disrupt a Pride event in Wolfsburg last year (TheColu.mn reported). Police prevented a confrontation, and the extremists withdrew. The three men, who allegedly did not know each other before the anti-Pride demonstration, subsequently traveled together by public transport to Gifhorn, about 20 kilometers away.
At a bus stop on Gifhorn’s Eyßelheideweg, they brutally kicked a 39-year-old woman who lay on the ground while she was with her sister, a VfL Wolfsburg supporter. She sustained only minor injuries—a black eye and scrapes—thanks to the prompt intervention by police and because she shielded her head with her arms. Nevertheless, it was said she would have suffered far more serious injuries had she been alone with the attackers.
The motive for the violence could not be established in court—the men spoke of provocations. They said they could not recall the events clearly due to their intoxication. Blood alcohol levels measured after the incident ranged from 0.155 to 0.248 percent.
All three deny any right-wing beliefs
The case also focused on their participation in the far-right demonstration. All three rejected any right-wing ideology. The 22-year-old defendant said he joined “spontaneously,” though he had already been registered in 2020 for a notice of using unconstitutional symbols. He insisted that he had cut ties with the far-right scene. Another said he learned of the anti-LGBTQ demonstration through the Telegram group “Jugend rechts” (Youth Right). He had been added to the group by a friend and is now completely out.
The three men apologized to the victim. The 39-year-old accepted the apologies and said the matter was closed for her.
“Who knows what would have happened if the police hadn’t arrived right away”
The lay judges’ panel followed the prosecutor’s request with a sentence of one year and nine months. The prosecutor had previously noted that the potential sentence range for this offense could be six months to ten years. The defendants could be credited for confessing and apologizing, for being intoxicated, for there having been provocations on both sides, and for the consequences being minor. “But you all kicked a woman lying on the ground with force. I see no reflex. You went along with the scene in your outfits. Who knows what would have happened if the police hadn’t arrived right away,” she said during the proceedings.
