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Police said they would step up their forces and closely monitor compliance with the rules on wearing masks and distance between people. Berlin Police Chief Barbara Slowik warned that if protesters did not follow security rules, the police would disperse them “very quickly”.
“We do not and will not want to see tens of thousands come together and create a risk of infection,” he added.
The Berlin city government had previously decided not to allow the demonstration, fearing that it could gather up to 22,000 people. protesters and that they will not comply with the requirements to maintain a distance of 1.5 meters and wear masks.
Reuters / Photo by Scanpix / People protest against coronavirus restrictions in Berlin
This ban outraged the organizers and their supporters. They flooded social media with angry statements, threatening to protest anyway, or even calling for violence.
However, on the eve of the rally, the Berlin administrative court sided with the protesters, claiming there was no indication that the organizers would “willfully ignore” the distance requirements and endanger public health.
“We must defend freedoms”
Crowds of families with children began gathering at the Brandenburg Gate on Saturday.
“I don’t sympathize with the extreme right. I’m here to defend our fundamental freedoms, ”said Stefan (Stefan), a 43-year-old from Berlin, shaving his head and wearing a T-shirt with the words“ Thinking is good ”.
“We are here to say: we must be careful! Coronavirus crisis or not, we must defend our freedoms, ”said Christina Holz, a 22-year-old student, in an interview with AFP.
According to Slowik, the order will be overseen by about 3,000 police officers, including 1,000 federal police officers. Special equipment will also be developed to chase crowds, including water cannons.
Reuters / Photo by Scanpix / People protest against coronavirus restrictions in Berlin
In Germany, the number of infections recorded on a daily basis has recently increased, reaching record highs since April.
Chancellor Angela Merkel told a press conference on Friday that the fight against COVID-19 in the fall and winter is likely to get even more difficult.
Merkel and the leaders of 16 German Länder on Thursday imposed stricter restrictions to help curb the coronavirus epidemic in the country. Among other things, fines of at least € 50 can be imposed for non-compliance with the mask requirement.
“It just came to our notice then. This is still serious. Please continue to take this seriously,” warned the head of government.
Responsive demos
The court’s decision to allow this protest reflects the confrontation between those who agree to comply with the preventive measures introduced by the government and those who believe that the government should not tell people how to live.
In early August, a similar “anti-corona” rally in Berlin drew 20,000. Participants. Among them were camp supporters from both the far left and far right, opponents of vaccination, apologists for conspiracy theories, and called themselves “free thinkers.”
The police quickly dispelled the demonstration because the participants did not comply with the safety rules imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Far-right groups welcomed the court’s decision to allow the latest demonstration. Leif-Erik Holm, a member of the anti-migrant Alternative to Germany (AfD) party, said the decision was a “victory for freedom.”
However, various groups plan to protest against the march of the “anti-corona” camp.
Anne Helm, a left-wing member of the Die Linke party (left) on the Berlin council, said: “There must be no tolerance for racists, anti-Semites, right-wing extremists and Nazis. That is why I urge all Berliners to contribute to the answer. “
That year, the German Hotel and Restaurant Association reported a higher than usual number of reserved seats for this weekend.
“We believe that the rooms were reserved for this demonstration,” Thomas Lengfelder, a spokesman for the association, told Augsburger Allgemeine.
In recent months, opponents have held demonstrations in some other countries as a result of restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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