Green Hoppala

Demo for open borders ended at the border

The Greens wanted to march to Braunau (left), but didn't get very far.(Bild: Pressefoto Scharinger/Daniel Scharinger)

It doesn't get any more curious than this. Last Thursday, two members of the German Green Party wanted to take a "winter walk" across the Inn bridge from Simbach to Braunau as a sign of support for open borders. But the venture failed miserably - at the border of all places.

"As a symbolic path for European cooperation and open borders", the walk was announced by the two Green politicians Anton Hofreiter (Chairman of the European Committee) and MP Marlene Schönberger (Member of the Committee on Internal Affairs), reports the Neue Passauer Presse (PNP). They wanted to march from Simbach over the bridge to Passau in Austria.

No authorization
The Bavarian police authorities gave their approval for the registered event in advance, but the Austrian executive was simply forgotten. And then the walk was over after half an hour.

Politicians had to turn back
Because the authorities in Germany and Austria are in constant contact, the local police were aware of the situation and were on site at the bridge. They then prohibited the - illegal - border crossing. The two Green politicians and around a dozen companions had to turn back without having achieved anything and realize that open borders are not so easy after all.