Ruling conservatives in the southern German state argue the law brings police legally and technologically up-to-date. Critics say the expanded police powers are a threat to civil liberties.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Bal
Advertisement
Bavaria's state legislature on Tuesday passed a controversial law expanding police powers in the southern German state, despite criticism that it would massively restrict civil liberties.
The ruling center-right Christian Social Union (CSU) used its majority in the state assembly to push through the law, with 89 lawmakers voting in favor, 67 against and two abstaining.
Critics have decried the bill as draconian and warned it could become a blueprint for expanded police powers across Germany. Last Thursday witnessed at least 30,000 protesters take to the streets of Munich to voice opposition to the law.
Last week's protest against the policing law was one of the biggest in recent memory. Image: Imago/C. Mang
'Looming danger'
One of the more controversial aspects of the law would allow police to take preventative action against an "impending danger," as opposed to the previous requirement of a "concrete danger."
Critics say loose terminologies would hand Bavarian police extended powers to intervene even before an offense has taken place. They also worry about the use of online surveillance, facial recognition, postal seizures, drones, body cameras and preventative genetic DNA analyses.
For the CSU, the Bavarian sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), the new law brings state police technologically and legally up to date.
Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said in the state parliamentary debate that "it is a protection law and not a surveillance law." He has stated the law provides more security, civil rights and privacy.
The Bavarian conservatives also argue the "impending danger" definition is not vague, and will be in line with a German constitutional court ruling making it easier for police to track suspected terrorists.
Bavaria is Germany's most popular travel destination. In 2022, around 7 million foreign guests visited the southern state. And these sights topped their must-see lists.
Image: Markus Mainka/Zoonar/picture alliance
Zugspitze
Bavaria gets to top it all by being home to Germany's highest peak. The Zugspitze in the Bavarian Alps reaches 2,962 meters (9,718 feet) above sea level. Visitors, however, don't need to invest a lot of energy to reach the summit and enjoy the fabulous views. Cable cars and a railway can take you to the top.
The largest folk festival in the world attracts millions of visitors each year and has spawned offshoots around the globe. It's characterized by beer in 1 liter glasses, women wearing dirndl dresses and men in lederhosen, as well as music and dancing in all of its many tents. The original Oktoberfest is found in Munich, which has played host since 1810.
Image: REUTERS
Munich: The Bavarian capital
The Bavarian metropolis is one of the most beautiful cities in Germany. The first stop for visitors is the Marienplatz square with the Frauenkirche church and the New Town Hall with its antique glockenspiel. Other attractions include the Hofbräuhaus beer hall, Nymphenburg Palace, the English Garden park as well as many museums like the Deutsches Museum — the largest science museum in the world.
Image: Christian Offenberg/Zoonar/picture alliance
Bayern Munich football club
Munich is also home to one of Germany's most successful football clubs. Bayern Munich's home games are played at the Allianz Arena. Fortunately, those who don't have tickets to a match can still feel close to the club's stars by taking a guided tour around the stadium.
Image: ActionPictures/IMAGO
Neuschwanstein Castle
The Romanesque revival palace is one of Germany's top attractions. In 2022, it was visited by 700,000 people, something reclusive King Ludwig II who commissioned the castle probably would not have enjoyed. He had it built in 1869 as a place where he could escape from public life and indulge in a world of fantasy and fairy tales. His whimsical castle is now admired by people from around the world.
Image: Sieghart Mair/ Zoonar/picture alliance
Königssee lake
Translated from German it would be the "King's Lake" — an apt title, as it's regarded as the king of Bavaria's roughly 200 lakes. Cutting deep into the Berchtesgaden Alps, the crystal-clear water creates an enchanting atmosphere. Since 1909, the pilgrimage church St. Bartholomew can only be reached by an environmentally friendly electric boat.
The small town in the Franconia region is a medieval gem. Tourists from all over the world love the timber-framed houses and the town wall with its fortifications. Rothenburg was left poor and deserted after the Thirty Years' War, which is why it has remained stuck in time. Today, it's seen a historic jewel that happens to be located on the Romantic Road, a popular tourist route in Germany.
Image: picture-alliance/imagebrokerW. Dieterich
Margravial Opera House, Bayreuth
This opera house, commissioned by Margravine Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia in the 18th century, was added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 2012. There are several World Heritage Sites in Bavaria, including the old towns of Regensburg and Bamberg, the Würzburg Residence and the pilgrimage church of Die Wies.
Image: Daniel Vogl/dpa/picture alliance
Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg
Nuremberg is the second-largest city in Bavaria. Most people visit in December to go to the Christkindlesmarkt, or Christ Child Market — one of the world's oldest Christmas markets, which is visited by 2 million people each year. Although you'll find mulled wine and Lebkuchen gingerbread at other Christmas markets, it's only here that you'll encounter the Christkind, a princess-like figure.
Image: Daniel Karmann/dpa/picture alliance
Bavarian hospitality
It's not a myth, but a way of life in the hundreds of beer gardens across Bavaria. In fact, Bavarians invented the beer garden. Originally, beer was kept cool in cellars that were shaded by large trees, until brewers decided to set up tables and serve it right on the spot! This lead to the birth of the beer garden. Cheers to that!
Image: Martin Siepmann/imageBROKER/picture alliance
10 images1 | 10
Election campaign tactic?
Opposition Social Democrat state chairman Natascha Kohnen said during the assembly debate that the CSU was ignoring concerns about the constitution. She also said that the police did not need the expanded powers.
"The police do not need this law and they know that it will not make Bavaria more secure," Kohnen said.
The CSU is campaigning for regional re-election in October on a hard-line agenda to persuade Bavarian voters not to drift further toward the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
During the heated state assembly debate, opposition Green Party parliamentary group leader Katharina Schulze accused the CSU of "monitoring mania." The expansion of police powers was not because of security issues, but because the CSU wanted to benefit in the election, she said.
Herrmann's counterpart at the federal level, Horst Seehofer, who formerly served as Bavarian state premier, propagates a hard-line nationwide, notably against refugees. This has raised concerns among critics of the expanded police powers that it could become a blueprint for other German states.
Policing in Germany is constitutionally the prerogative of each of the 16 regional states, with federal authorities, notably the federal police, focused on patrolling Germany's external borders, its airports, railway stations and train routes.
