Lateral thinker demo in Göttingen: cancellation causes a wave of protests

Lateral thinker demo in Göttingen: cancellation causes a wave of protests

Things remain turbulent in Göttingen because the demonstration by the “lateral thinker” movement planned for October 3rd and 4th was canceled today. The decision came as a surprise, and the reasoning makes people sit up and take notice: a “private health emergency” suffered by co-organizer Michael Schele led to the postponement of the event. A new date has not yet been set, but Schele emphasized that the demo has only been postponed, not canceled.

The city administration received the corresponding rejection via email at the weekend. The event was to have started with a motorcade on Friday, followed by a rally and demonstration on Saturday. Preparations had begun weeks ago and around 20 vehicles were expected for the motorcade and around 2,000 participants for the demonstration.

Protest against “lateral thinking”

Although the “lateral thinkers” cannot hold their rally, the Göttingen Alliance Against the Right has already announced protest actions under the motto “lateral thinking is coming back – we are already there”. With a total of over 2,600 participants expected, numerous counter-events have also been announced against the “lateral thinkers”, including by the German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB) and the Green Youth.

In order to illustrate the explosiveness of the issue, the “Grandmas Against the Right” initiative stated in an open letter that it was calling for a critical examination of the “lateral thinker” demonstration, including possible conditions. They recognize the right to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, but are skeptical because previous meetings of the “lateral thinkers” were repeatedly characterized by problematic goals.

Memories of past demonstrations

Past “lateral thinkers” meetings, such as the last one in February, show the divided atmosphere in Göttingen. At that time, around 140 “lateral thinkers” competed against an estimated 5,000 counter-demonstrators. Around 2,000 police were deployed to stabilize the situation. Citizens' initiatives have become strongly mobilized in recent years; In 2023 and 2024 there were already over 500 mobilized people from the “lateral thinking” environment.

The opposition to the “lateral thinkers” is growing, and protests with road blockades have been organized in the past, forcing the police to intervene. On February 2, 2025, for example, the number of participants in the “lateral thinkers” was only around 150, while almost 5,000 people attended the counter-protests. It wasn't just peaceful demonstrations, as there were also riots in which police and demo participants were attacked with pyrotechnics and other objects.

The ideology of the “lateral thinkers”

But what is behind the “lateral thinker” movement? It was created at the beginning of 2020 and is not exclusively assigned to the right-wing extremist spectrum, but has many interfaces with extremist ideologies. People who describe themselves as “lateral thinkers” reject vaccinations and sometimes combine their views with conspiracy theories. The origin and development of this movement were also closely followed by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, as parts of the movement were classified as unconstitutional.

The focus is particularly on Marcus Fuchs from Dresden, who is considered the central figure behind the Göttingen events. He is classified as right-wing extremist by the Saxon Office for the Protection of the Constitution and is committed to the “Free Saxons”, a group that also belongs to the ranks of right-wing extremist parties. Speakers from these parties often appear at its events, raising concerns about public safety and democratic order.

While the plans for the “Querdenker” demo are now on hold, it remains to be seen how the situation in Göttingen will develop and what new forms of resistance and protests could emerge. The city and its citizens have proven in recent years that they are determined to take a stand against all forms of extremism and to actively advocate for a solidarity-based and democratic society.

The Göttinger Tageblatt remains an important medium for further information on developments. If you would like to find out more about the background, you can currently read the article on Göttingen Tageblatt, the NDR NDR as well as the Federal Agency for Civic Education bpb.de track.