The weekend of 3–4 October 2026: Human chain at KarLi, police break up the party ‘harth’, surprise result in the Saxony Cup

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Leipzig also took part in the nationwide climate protest “Es brennt!” by forming a human chain along a section of Karl-Liebknecht-Straße. Unlike a night-time rave at the Harthbogen, this event had been duly registered. The rave, on the other hand, was shut down by the police. The Saxony Cup is also over for defending champions Aue. Lok and Chemie Leipzig, on the other hand, are both still in the draw, as expected. The LZ summarises the key events from the weekend of 3–4 October 2026 in Leipzig and beyond.

Nationwide human chains warn: “It’s on fire!”

On Saturday, a total of around 19,000 people took part in the nationwide climate action “It’s on fire!” across more than 100 German cities. As part of the event, a symbolic human chain was formed stretching from the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe to the Federal Chancellery in Berlin. “On German Unity Day, we want to make it clear that protecting the natural foundations of life is not a matter for individual groups, but something that unites us all,” the organisers had written in their announcement.

“The starting point also carries symbolic significance. Article 20a of the Basic Law obliges the state to protect the natural foundations of life, including out of a sense of responsibility towards future generations – in 2021, the Federal Constitutional Court derived from this a specific duty on the part of the state to protect future generations. The campaign aims to send a message of optimism and solidarity: people are joining hands and facing the challenges of our time together.”

In Leipzig, too, around 150 people took part in this campaign. On Karl-Liebknecht-Straße, between Hardenbergstraße and Scharnhorststraße, they formed a human chain approximately 130 metres long. The procedure was the same in all cities: at 12 noon sharp, the participants stood hand in hand in the chain in silence for ten minutes. They then held a white sheet of paper above their heads as a symbolic gesture signifying the need for a fresh start, both socially and politically.

“I think that actions like human chains give people courage and simply show just how many people there are who care about preserving the foundations of our lives and sticking together. That gives me courage too, and that’s why I’m here today,” said participant Rebecka, explaining her reason for taking part to the LZ. Jonas, another participant, described his motivation as follows: “It’s important to me to create a planet – a place for all of us – that is liveable and habitable for everyone. Climate protection is a fundamental part of that. It’s incredibly important to fight for this and raise awareness.”

Speaking of visibility: the participants concluded by writing these and other reasons for taking part in the human chain on the formerly blank sheet of paper. “We’ll then send this together to Friedrich Merz,” explained Thomas Gärtner, who had registered and organised the Leipzig event.

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Police stops the party

Although the party venue was jwd (janz weit draußen – way out in the sticks), the loud and relentless beats still found their way to the ears of the exasperated local residents. On Friday night, around 50 people were partying at an unlicensed rave under a motorway bridge near Lake Zwenkau – more precisely at Harthbogen. A ‘harth’ party, so to speak. It had apparently started around midnight, but at around 10 am that morning, witnesses finally alerted the police because the music was still going on.

Officers from the Borna police station and the Central Services Unit already knew where to look for the source of the noise. On site – in a nature reserve, mind you – professional DJ equipment and petrol-powered generators had been set up. A campfire was also crackling away. At the police’s suggestion, the party guests extinguished the fire themselves. And with that, the party came to an abrupt end. A 28-year-old man was identified as the person responsible for the event and has been charged with an administrative offence. The final legal classification of the incident, however, is still under review.

One party guest eventually ended up in the police records for causing a disturbance. The drunk 21-year-old insulted the officers and resisted arrest. As he apparently did not wish to reveal his identity, he was taken to a police station at the behest of a duty public prosecutor, had his details recorded by the identification unit and was subsequently released. However, he was served with a charge of resisting law enforcement officers and insulting them.

Five-nil: RB Women in scoring mood against Mainz

The RB Leipzig women’s Bundesliga footballers have rarely really found their rhythm this season. And even in their sixth match, on Saturday against FSV Mainz 05, the home side’s performance against the bottom-of-the-table side didn’t really look like they were in their stride during the first 45 minutes. The score remained goalless at half-time.

But after the break, things suddenly took off. Just nine (!) minutes after the restart, RB Leipzig were 3–0 up. Boboy (47’), Tuin (52’) and Schasching (54’) had scored in quick succession. The Mainz side, who had yet to pick up a point this season, were visibly caught off guard. Although they fought back against the now almost inevitable defeat, it came nonetheless and the scoreline eventually rose to 5–0 thanks to further goals from Schasching (83’) and Pusztai (90’). RBL climbed to 9th place with seven points.

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Saxony Cup: Lok and Chemie safely through to the round of 16

The defending champions are out! Reigning cup holders Erzgebirge Aue were knocked out as early as the third round of the Saxony Cup. Late in the afternoon, the side relegated from the 3. Liga suffered a 2–3 defeat at the hands of Oberliga side FC Eilenburg. By contrast, the two Leipzig-based Regionalliga sides fulfilled their obligations. As expected, 1. FC Lok and BSG Chemie prevailed against teams playing three leagues below them.

However, Lok’s performance on Friday evening under the floodlights was not particularly convincing. In their home match (the home advantage had been swapped) against SV Liebertwolkwitz, based just a few kilometres away, not a single goal had been scored by half-time. In the second half, Siebeck (57’), Arcalean (78’) and Vuc (86’) lifted the spirits of the blue-and-yellow supporters, who were already feeling somewhat downhearted. Lok thus left the pitch as 3–0 winners. The Liebertwolkwitz team, however, were the ones being celebrated, having put in a spirited performance on the pitch at the Bruno-Plache Stadium.

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The Chemiker, on the other hand, set themselves on course for victory very early on today at Hoyerswerdaer FC. Hoffmann put the Leutzsch side ahead as early as the 2nd minute. Philipp Kühn made it 2–0 a quarter of an hour later (17th minute). A brace from Sanogo (48th/71st) sealed the deal. Still, the hosts were able to celebrate a consolation goal in stoppage time through Bulmann (90+1), making the score 1–4. The Saxon Football Association will draw the upcoming round of 16 fixtures next Tuesday, 6 October, at the ‘Egidius Braun’ Sport & Conference Hotel in Leipzig. A derby?

What the LZ reported over the weekend:

The town council met: A brief discussion about a motion that never even made it through the procedural stages

The City Council met: Another climate emergency

A stroll along the Parkbogen Ost: the Sellerhäuser Viaduct was opened on Friday

Politicians decide who benefits from the fuel discount: an editorial

Sunday Church No. 169: Featuring historic frescoes – the church in Baalsdorf

First major project of its kind: BMW’s Leipzig plant is connected to the hydrogen backbone network

After ten months of construction: The new Sellerhausen–Stünz bridge went into operation on 3 October right on schedule

What else was important:

72,300 visitors and 502 exhibitors from 19 countries – those are the figures for this year’s Leipzig Hobby Fair. It was already the 30th edition of this well-attended event.

In Oranienburg, Brandenburg, members of the Left Youth were attacked with pepper spray during a meeting at the Left Party’s office. The police are now searching for three attackers.

The Munich Oktoberfest,which came to an end today, set a new visitor record with a total of 7.4 million people. Around 6.7 million Maß of beer were consumed by the thirsty crowd.

From November, Deutsche Bahn plans to offer the family ticket – previously available only in summer – on a permanent basis. A return journey for a family will then cost 99.99 euros on a permanent basis, including an ICE seat reservation. Tickets are set to go on sale on 26 October.