[ad_1]
Media playback is not supported by your device
Thousands of people have marched through the German capital Berlin to protest coronavirus restrictions.
Police enforced the mandatory wearing of masks and social distancing, and at noon ordered the protesters to disperse for disobeying the order.
The demonstration was mostly peaceful, but the police later made “numerous arrests”.
City authorities had tried to prevent the march from moving forward, fearing security measures would be bypassed, but a court struck down the ban.
Some 18,000 people participated in Saturday’s march, police said.
Although Germany has so far not seen the wave of cases affecting some parts of Europe, its infection rate has been increasing. The new case numbers are reaching highs last seen in April.
What is happening now?
Police issued their order to disperse after the participants refused to keep a safe distance from each other, authorities said.
“Unfortunately, we have no other choice,” the Berlin police said on Twitter. “All the measures taken so far have not led to the fulfillment of the conditions.”
The protesters were huddled together in places and sat together on the ground at one point.
Police said the protesters largely dispersed peacefully, although there were some outbreaks of unrest, and officers used pepper spray.
Image copyright
Reuters
Attila Hildmann spoke to protesters outside the Russian embassy in Unter den Linden
Some protesters remained in Unter den Linden, near the Brandenburg Gate, where cookery author and conspiracy theorist Attila Hildmann spoke through a loudspeaker. Berlin police later said they had arrested “a vegan cookbook author.”
They tweeted: “We had to carry out many other arrests for … throwing bottles … and other crimes.”
Who is involved in the Berlin protests?
The demonstration was organized by the Stuttgart-based Querdenken 711 (or Lateral Thinking 711) movement. The group has more than 16,000 followers on Facebook and communicates largely through the encrypted messaging service Telegram.
Image copyright
EPA
Protesters held flags of Germany, Russia, the Netherlands, the German Empire and Bavaria
He believes that coronavirus regulations infringe upon the basic rights and freedoms enshrined in Germany’s constitution and wants them lifted.
The group previously organized a protest in Berlin on August 1 called “Freedom Day.” Thousands of people joined, including some from the far right and some conspiracy theorists who don’t believe Covid-19 exists. German news site Deutsche Welle reported that flags and T-shirts in support of the far right could be seen in the crowd on Saturday.
The protests have also won the support of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The anti-vaccination activist, also the son of assassinated Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of assassinated US President John F. Kennedy, is at the demonstrations in Berlin.
Kennedy told a crowd at the Victory Column that his uncle had headed to Berlin in 1963 to counter totalitarianism and that “today Berlin is again the front against totalitarianism,” warning of a vigilant state and the power of 5G telephone networks.
Photos shared online also showed flags and slogans linked to the QAnon conspiracy theory. The broad and unfounded conspiracy theory says that US President Donald Trump is waging a secret war against the elite Satan-worshiping pedophiles in government, business and the media, among other claims.
Image copyright
Reuters
The protests have attracted a number of different groups.
Participants also included families and children. Some people have said that they just want the right to protest.
One protester, Stefan, a 43-year-old Berlin resident, told Agence France-Presse: “I am not a sympathizer of the extreme right, I am here to defend our fundamental freedoms.”
Another protester told ARD television station that the number of “seriously ill” had “a downward trend,” adding: “At the same time, we have more evidence. And we have measures that are totally disproportionate. This madness must stop. and allow a normal life again. “
Counter-protests were also held against the main march, with about 100 people at a demonstration. “They are marching with Nazis and fascists,” some participants shouted, according to the RBB station.
A counter-protester told AFP: “Querdenken is openly on the right … by marching alongside them today … you offer them a stage in the middle of society. And that is not acceptable.”
What are Germany’s Covid-19 measures?
The country was one of the most effective in applying the response framework called prevent, detect, contain and treat.
It has been particularly effective in keeping the death rate lower among those over 70 years of age.
He began to relax physical distancing in early April, but continued to track infections, which have increased in August.
On Thursday, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the 16 federal states introduced a minimum fine of 50 euros (£ 45; $ 59) for not wearing a mask where ordered. The ban on large public events was also extended until next year.
Ms Merkel said: “We will have to live with this virus for a long time. It is still serious.” She said it would get more challenging in the winter.
Germany has recorded 242,000 infections, fewer than the other major European nations. Its death toll of 9,297 is considerably lower than the numbers in Russia, the UK, Spain, France and Italy, research from Johns Hopkins University shows.
