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Protests Greet New Right ‘SeitenWechsel’ Book Fair in Halle as Police Report Isolated Offenses

The event casts itself as a conservative forum, with organizers deleting an overt neo‑Nazi publisher from the exhibitor list.

Overview

  • About 600 people marched toward the Halle exhibition grounds on Saturday, with a sit‑in briefly blocking an access road, according to police.
  • Authorities deployed several hundred officers—around 350 by evening updates—to secure the fair and facilitate registered counter‑demonstrations.
  • A Green member of the Saxony‑Anhalt state parliament was assaulted near the site around 11:20 a.m.; a 38‑year‑old suspect was identified and an investigation is underway.
  • Roughly 100 exhibitors are present, including Antaios, which the domestic intelligence service classifies as officially extremist, while the Compact company is listed among participants.
  • Organizers removed the neo‑Nazi Sturmzeichen entry from the online exhibitor roster, citing unauthorized data manipulation, as a citywide ‘Wir’ festival hosts hundreds of alternative cultural events.