User:Festucalex/Draft:Trial of Lina E.

On May 31, 2023, a Dresden court found 28-year-old Lina E. guilty of six acts of violence against neo-Nazi individuals, and sentenced her to five years and three months of imprisonment. Three co-defendants (Lennart A., Philipp M., and Jannis R.) were charged with her, and received shorter sentences.

Attacks
Lina and her group were accused of carrying out six attacks against far-right targets in Saxony and Thuringia between 2018 and 2020. Lina was determined to the the head of the group, which the court ruled to be a "criminal organization".

The violence included two attacks against an individual known as Leon R. Leon was attacked first in late 2019 at an Eisenach bar known to be frequented by neo-Nazis. Leon was beaten with hammers and batons, and was attacked again weeks later near his car.

Another attack, which occurred in 2020, involved around 20 members of Lina's group. During this incident, six neo-Nazis were attacked during a ceremony commemorating the Dresden bombings, an event often celebrated by the German far-right. The attack resulted in several serious injuries due to beatings and baton attacks by the assailants.

Trial
The trial of Lina E. lasted for almost 100 days. On May 31, 2023, the Higher Regional Court of Dresden reached a guilty verdict and sentenced the defendant to five years and three months in jail. Upon the announcement of the verdict, spectators shouted slogans against the court, such as "[you are] friends of fascists!" (Faschofreunde!) and "Fuck class justice!" (Scheiß Klassenjustiz!).

Following the verdict, Lina E. was released, pending appeal. A second decision to affirm or overturn the sentence is expected in around 18 months. Her passport has been confiscated to eliminate flight risk.

Reactions
Germany's Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, said that the government will act decisively against any left-wing violence following the verdict.

Green Youth chairman Timon Dzienus questioned the verdict. He tweeted: "A completely exaggerated and questionable evidence-based process is being used with all severity against Lina E. and other leftists. What nonsense—that's why FreeLina!" This drew criticism from members of the right-wing CDU party.

The far-right Alternative for Germany party welcomed the verdict, accusing Lina E. of terrorism, and called for a longer sentence for the defendants.

Protests against the verdict were organized by left-wing groups in Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden, and other cities. In response to a large protest dubbed "Day X" (Tag X), planned to take place on May 3, the city of Leipzig banned public gatherings.

Information gathered

 * English sources


 * German sources


 * German Wikipedia
 * de:Dresdner Linksextremismusprozess


 * Redirects
 * Lina E.
 * Lina E
 * Lina E. trial
 * Lina E trial
 * Dresden far-left trial
 * Dresden left-wing trial
 * Dresden left-wing extremist trial
 * Dresden left-wing extremism trial
 * 2023 Dresden trial
 * 2023 Dresden far-left trial
 * 2023 Dresden left-wing trial
 * 2023 Dresden left-wing extremist trial
 * 2023 Dresden left-wing extremism trial
 * Antifa Ost trial