Over 20,000 people took part in demonstrations against coronavirus restrictions in Berlin on Sunday. There were scattered protests all over the city, following which they converged, batting a blind eye to social distancing norms. The protesters had reportedly called it an ‘End of Pandemic – Day of Freedom’.
The demonstrators spanned a wide range of interest groups, from left to rightwing extremists, including members of the neo-Nazi NPD party and Reichsbürger or Citizens of the Reich – who reject the legitimacy of the German state – as well as followers of QAnon, the rightwing conspiracy theory group, members of the Querdenken or Lateral Thinkers movement, followers of the anti-Islam protest group Pegida, anti-vaxxers and self-declared esotericists. Some individuals said they were not affiliated to any group.
The gathering was broken up by police after repeated warnings over participants’ failure to wear face coverings or keep a 1.5-metre distance from each other were ignored. Police said 133 demonstrators were arrested and 45 officers were injured, with some needing to be hospitalised. Several journalists reported being verbally or physically attacked.
The country’s politicians stand divided over this issue. Although most parties came out in criticism of the protestors, the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) defended them, saying they had the right to protest. Meanwhile, Germany’s infection rate has crept up in the last two weeks to a level not seen since mid-May.
Source: The Guardian