COVID-19: Protests, death threats in east German hotspot 

Hildburghausen in eastern Germany is a "coronavirus hotspot," where the rate of infection is particularly high — much higher than anywhere else in the state of Thuringia. And no one knows why that is.

The town has a population of 63,000 and last week the statistical rate of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants reached 588.6.

The district administrator imposed tough anti-corona measures, including shutting down the local schools. And the people of the town are obliged to wear masks wherever they go.

Read more: How German protesters are trivializing Nazi-era persecution

A mixture of coronavirus deniers, so-called concerned citizens, and familiar faces from far-right circles took to the streets to protest, denouncing the measures as dictatorial. The police say it is unclear who exactly applied for the demonstration to take place, but it does seem that the rally had the backing of right-wing politicians.

Some four hundred people took part. No one was wearing masks, and there was no social distancing. Police eventually broke up the gathering.

District Administrator Thomas Müller has little understanding of the protesters. He was in no doubt at all that he had to speak out — and speak out he did. "When people march through town bellowing chants like that, then you only have to call to mind the others who dying in our hospital to get a feeling for just how macabre it all is."

"But then you get threats to life and limb," he says, shaking his head in dismay.

After Müller challenged the demonstrators as irresponsible, threats began coming in via social media: "Müller, you stupid pig. Get some rope and hang yourself," was the wording of one Facebook post that has since been deleted. Since then, Müller has been under police protection. The local politician has called the south Thuringia region home for over a quarter of a century. He knows practically everybody in the area. And, he says, practically everybody knows him. Which is what makes the death threats all the more disturbing.

Noisy protesters: silent majority?

Müller's office lies just a stone's throw away from the pretty town center. A handful of locals have gathered there, in front of the supermarket. They are unhappy about the way the protests have put the spotlight on their town. Irresponsible, blinkered, difficult to understand, is how some of them characterize the demonstrators: "It's beyond what is acceptable," says one woman, "And it's us who'll have to face the music."

Thomas Müller compares the goings-on in Hildburghausen with anti-lockdown protests in big cities like Berlin and Leipzig, where thousands of people have regularly violated hygiene regulations to take part in protests that have represented a danger to the health of both themselves and others.

Of course, the lockdown has had a devastating impact on many businesses in Hildburghausen. Homeschooling has made life hard for parents. And front-line health workers in the hospital have already been pushed to their limits and beyond.

But most people it seems have chosen to stay at home and follow the regulations. "Nobody's happy: they're gritting their teeth," says one shop-owner, "but they're sticking to the rules."

The schools also closed down last week. Thomas Müller says he is doing all he can to get them open again. Mass testing has begun on Tuesday.

The protesters are not impressed. In social media, there is plenty of talk of more demonstrations. The district administrator is unbending: "Stay at home. It's dangerous. Not just for people who get involved, but for others who might get drawn into accidentally."

A ban on public gatherings — indoors and outdoor — has been in place in Hildburghausen since Sunday. Thomas Müller's big hope is that the numbers of people being infected will soon go down. And that his town will stop making unwelcome headlines.

This article was translated from German.