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They talk about conspiracy theories. They do not agree with the restrictions imposed by European governments as prevention against the covid-19 pandemic. Thousands of people took to the streets this Saturday in some European capitals, especially Berlin, London and Paris, to demonstrate against the mandatory use of masks or social distance.
The capital of Germany is the largest stage for these protests. In front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, in a demonstration prohibited by the municipality, but authorized by a court, 20,000 people gathered who, according to the local police, violated the rules of physical distance.
“The minimum distance is not being respected by the majority [dos manifestantes] despite repeated calls “from the police forces, which were forced to disperse the crowd, the Berlin police said on their official Twitter account.
This is not the first “anti-covid” rally to be organized in Germany, where the number of new infections has increased in recent weeks. There have been an average of 1,500 cases a day, prompting the health authorities to impose new restrictions and bringing thousands of protesters to the streets.
This Saturday’s demonstration was banned by the Berlin regional government, with the justification that in similar protests, carried out in recent weeks, the protesters did not respect rules such as the use of mask or distance, but the organizers appealed to the justice and a court authorized it. the protest (subject to a distance of at least 1.5 meters between each citizen).
Shortly after 9:00 am local time, when the demonstration began, the police tried to end the rally, but the protesters remained in the place, sitting on the floor while shouting “resistance” or “we are the people” (slogan associate) far right), says AFP. Another group started throwing rocks and bottles at the police, who made two arrests.
London called for an “end to medical tyranny”
In the English capital, around 1,000 people gathered in London’s Trafalgar Square for the same purpose, calling for “an end to medical tyranny.” In the form of posters or war cries, they called for an end to the restrictions imposed by the Boris Johnson government and an end to mass vaccination campaigns.
Among the protesters, there are skeptical citizens who deny the existence of the new coronavirus, supporters of conspiracy theories and militants of the anti-vaccine movement. according to the Efe agency.
With posters against the World Health Organization, against the American businessman Bill Gates and against the restrictions of the conservative executive, the protesters called for an end to the mandatory use of masks and other standards, considering the pandemic an “error” or a “It is a joke”.
The United Kingdom registered 1,180 new cases of covid-19 in the country in the last 24 hours, according to official data published by the British authorities.
In Paris, the protests are against masks and “in favor of freedom of choice”
The protests in the French capital have been the least supported so far. The demonstration against the mandatory use of masks, promulgated this week, gathered between 200 and 300 French people who say they are “in favor of freedom of choice.”
“I am a citizen who opposes measures that restrict freedom and have no medical justification”, Sophie, 50, one of the protesters, told AFP. “People don’t want to wear the mask. They just wear it for fear of being fined.”
With Lusa and AFP
