Protests in Europe against “medical tyranny”: “The coronavirus is a big lie” [εικόνες] | WORLD



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Opponents of mandatory mask wear and restrictive measures against the coronavirus have taken to the streets by the thousands in various European cities.

Police in riot gear stormed a demonstration on Friday, dislodging hundreds of protesters by truck. Police in riot gear stormed a demonstration on Friday, dislodging hundreds of protesters by truck.

“The coronavirus is a big lie”

“The coronavirus is a big lie,” a 50-year-old protester told Germany’s N24 television network. In London, thousands of protesters demanding “an end to medical tyranny” gathered in Trafalgar Square.

Coronavirus protest in London
Protest in London © Yui Mok / PA via AP

In Paris, 200 to 300 people protested against the mandatory use of the mask. Sophie, a Parisian in her 50s, continued to protest “freedom of choice”: “I am just a citizen angry about murderous measures that have no medical justification.” A demonstration was also to be held in Zurich.

Coronavirus protest in Paris
Protest against the mandatory mask in Paris © AP Photo / Kamil Zihnioglu

Almost 3,000 police officers in Berlin

In central Berlin, between 18,000 and 20,000 participants had just started marching, according to police, when their mobilization had to stop. Almost 3,000 police officers have been deployed. “The minimum distance is not observed, although it was repeatedly requested” by the police forces, said the Police, “so there is no other option but to disperse the concentration.”

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Following the call to disperse the rally in the early afternoon, the protesters, many of them on the road, stood up and shouted “resistance!”, Then shouted “we are the people!” Slogan used by the extreme right. and then she began to sing the German national anthem.

Thousands of them continued to protest. A group of protesters threw rocks and bottles at the police, who made two arrests, according to police.

Coronavirus protest in Berlin
Snapshot of a protest in Berlin © AP Photo / Michael Sohn
Coronavirus protest in Berlin
© Michael Kappeler / dpa via AP

“Merkel must go!”

Entitled “Celebration of Freedom and Peace”, the rally in Berlin, attended by “freethinkers” citizens, anti-vaccines, conspiracy theorists and even far-right supporters, is the second of its kind in a month. and it worries the authorities. The crowd is diverse, of all ages, including families with young children. The peace and rainbow flag and the flag of Germany were raised side by side, protesters repeatedly shouted “Merkel must go!” – the slogan of the far-right Alternative for Germany party against the chancellor.

“I do not support the extreme right. I am here to defend our fundamental freedoms,” said Stefan, a 43-year-old Berliner with a shaved head who wore a gray T-shirt that read: “Think, help.” “Only a few of the extreme right in the street, but in reality, they are the ones organizing the protest,” said Belinda, who participated in a counter-demonstration organized by the radical left Die Linke.

Almost 20,000 people gathered in Berlin on August 1 for a similar demonstration. His march was also interrupted by the police for the same reasons that the current one was dissolved. The municipality of the German capital had initially prohibited the mobilization for “reasons of public health” due to the impossibility – in its opinion – to maintain a distance of at least 1.5 meters between the protesters. However, the administrative court to which the organizers appealed on Friday allowed the demonstration to take place.

Growing whining

The new demonstration was organized amid growing dissatisfaction in German public opinion over restrictions related to the pandemic. And this, despite the fact that Germany resisted considerably better than its neighbors, and the restrictions to combat the new coronavirus were never as severe as in France or Italy.

The protest was organized by Michael Balveg, an IT businessman who claims to belong to a non-political party and is the leader of the Querdenken-711 (Thinking Anti-Conformist-711) movement, which first appeared in Stuttgart. He described Germany’s attempt to ban the demonstration as an “attack on the Constitution”, which protects the right to freedom of expression.

His supporters have rebelled against the “dictatorship” of the measures taken due to the coronavirus epidemic, which they consider violates their freedoms. They ask for the resignation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the holding of early elections in October, a year ahead of schedule.

Like many European countries, Germany is facing a reappearance of the pandemic in recent weeks, registering an average of around 1,500 new cases daily. The Covid-19 pandemic has killed at least 838,271 people worldwide since the virus broke out in late December, according to an AFP report today, based on official sources. So far, almost 24.8 million cases of coronavirus have been diagnosed.



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