[ad_1]
The protesters, few of whom were wearing masks, marched from the city center to a main square in northeast Stuttgart.
A mandatory mask sign was posted in the southern German city of Rosenheim on April 1, 2021, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Image: AFP
STUTTGART – Thousands of people protested in Stuttgart on Saturday against the virus restrictions amid a heated debate across Germany over tightening measures in the face of a third wave of COVID-19.
The protesters, few of whom were wearing masks, marched from the city center to a main square in northeast Stuttgart.
Police in the southwestern city said protesters ignored requests to don masks and adhere to social distance rules, although there were no reports of major incidents.
The movement against social restrictions, known as “Querdenken (anti-conformist)”, has held regular protests in Germany since the start of the pandemic.
It brings together members of the far left and far right along with conspiracy theorists and anti-vaccination groups.
On March 20, between 15,000 and 20,000 gathered in the city of Kassel, leading to clashes with the police and numerous arrests.
In Stuttgart, protesters on Saturday carried banners with the slogan “End the dictatorship of Covid.”
“The measures are exaggerated,” said Evelyn, one of the protesters who called for “an end to the lockdown,” adding that she did not believe the official Covid case and death figures.
Marching partner Rainer said; “I am against being forced to vaccinate.”
The protests come against the backdrop of a fierce debate in Germany over increasing Covid restrictions in the face of rising infections.
The government is “studying” the possibility of introducing uniform measures in the German states “to stop a third wave if regional measures are insufficient,” a spokesman said Saturday.
Chancellor Angela Merkel favors strict measures to contain the virus, with an incidence rate that reached 131 cases per 100,000 people during the last week.
In a recent televised interview, he called for the introduction of curfews, which have never been applied at the national level, and threatened to impose stricter measures at the federal level if the regions, which are responsible for health matters, do not take the necessary measures. .
On Thursday, he urged Germans to limit their social contacts during the Easter holidays.
Download the Eyewitness News app on your iOS or Android device.
[ad_2]
