German police said on Wednesday they expect this weekend’s Munich Security Conference, an annual gathering of world leaders and defence experts, to attract about 40 different demonstrations.
That is “more events than we have seen in a long time,” Christian Huber, head of the Operations Department at the Munich Police Headquarters, said.
Huber said the “current political situation” and the timing of the conference shortly before Germany’s general election on February 23 likely contributed to the increase, although the conference always draws protesters.
The forum opens on Friday, but most of the demonstrations will be on Saturday, he said.
A group called the Action Alliance Against the NATO Security Conference registered a march with up to 1,500 people, which is to pass the Amerika Haus cultural institution and the Israeli consulate. The list of speakers includes former Greek finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis. Pro-Palestinian groups are expected to take part.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US Vice President JD Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio are among the high-profile names expected to attend the conference, which runs through Sunday.
A security perimeter has been set up around the conference venue, the Bayerischer Hof luxury hotel, and a flight ban has been imposed over the city, including for drones.
According to Huber, around 5,000 police officers will be on duty during the three days of the conference, with support coming from across Germany and even Austria.
In recent years the Munich Security Conference has seen not only rallies against war and military spending, but also against pandemic lockdowns, far-right and anti-immigration movements, and Iran’s hardline factions.
