Overview
- The Emden-to-Berlin convoy, which set off Friday morning, grew to a peak of 82 vehicles near Wolfsburg and was expected at the Reichstag around 8:30 p.m.
- Police escorted the column with patrol cars and motorcycles, reported no major traffic problems, enforced a federal-roads route with no autobahn use, and planned a Berlin handoff to guide it to the parliament building.
- In Leipzig, a separate motorcade gathered 22 trucks and 69 cars for a loop from the Völkerschlachtdenkmal to Augustusplatz and back, causing brief delays but remaining peaceful.
- Leipzig organizers called to scrap the CO2 tax and to cut value-added and mineral oil taxes on fuel as well as labor costs, a stance backed by the local chamber of commerce.
- Organizers said fuel and operating costs are straining firms even as average pump prices have eased since Easter, and drivers warned that reserves are thinning for transport companies.