© Martin Lejeune / t-online
There are probably few people on this planet who have their own warning sign dedicated to them: "Caution! Risk of provocation!" reads the sign in German and Russian on two A-boards in Berlin. In the centre is a red triangle with a man holding up a flag. The man is supposed to be Henry Lindemeier, the flag Ukrainian.
Lindemeier protests regularly in front of the Russian House on Friedrichstraße against the war in Ukraine. The House presents itself as a cultural and events centre in the heart of Berlin and is operated by a sanctioned Russian government agency. When Lindemeier shows up, a doorman carries the A-boards to the entrance and sets them up.
At least 33 times in 2024 the Berlin police came to the Russian House because Lindemeier was standing there with his speaker. Officers tell him they're fed up with him. "But they should be angry at the Russian House, which calls them for nothing."
"It is strange why the police continuously chase nonsense." – Lawyer Patrick Heinemann
On 18 December, Lindemeier was arrested in front of the Russian House. Handcuffed, taken to a communal cell. Four hours. The charges: alleged insults and breach of the peace in previous weeks. This was not substantiated, and there was no legal basis for the measures. In subsequent legal proceedings, the police formally acknowledged: the deployment was unlawful.
The day before, Lindemeier had called the police – because he had been threatened. "You'll get a knife in the back one day," a visitor to the Russian House had said. Lindemeier waited 45 minutes. The police did not come.
"When a noise complaint is filed, sometimes three patrol cars show up at the Russian House. When my client was threatened, nobody was available." – Lawyer Christian Wolf