Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie invites G20 police to free concert
July 11, 2017
After the storm of protests that swept over Hamburg during the G20 summit last weekend, the police officers who found themselves face to face with violent masked demonstrators could probably use a break.
On Thursday evening, Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie concert hall is giving them just that. All of the 2,000 seats in its larger hall are offered to police officers from the region and their partners.
They will be offered a free concert by Hamburg-born pianist Sebastian Knauer, who told the city's daily "Abendblatt" that he was deeply concerned by the violence against police that took place during the protests.
Some 20,000 police officers were on duty for the event, which saw Chancellor Angela Merkel hosting heads of state from around the world. Four-hundred-seventy-six officers were injured.
Appreciation for the police's effort has been shown in other ways as well, including free hotel stays and discounts at department stores.
kbm/sh (with dpa)
Read more: Elbphilharmonie already has more visitors than Neuschwanstein
Read more: Beethoven's Ninth at the G20: Peace, joy - and provocation