Thousands of people protested Germany’s coronavirus restrictions Saturday in a Berlin demonstration that insisted ‘the end of the pandemic’ has arrived.
The declaration comes as authorities voice increasing concerns about an uptick in new infections.
With few masks in sight, a dense crowd marched through downtown Berlin from the Brandenburg Gate ahead of a rally on a wide boulevard that runs through the city’s Tiergarten park.
Protesters who came from across the country held up homemade signs with slogans like ‘Corona, false alarm,’ ‘We are being forced to wear a muzzle,’ ‘Natural defense instead of vaccination’ and ‘We are the second wave.’
People attend a demonstration initiated by the initiative ‘Querdenken-711’, with the slogan ‘the end of the pandemic – the day of freedom to protest current measurements that aim to curb the spreading of Coronavirus in Berlin
Participants hold a banner reading ‘Health is more than the absence of illness’ as they take part in the demonstration in front of the Brandenburg Gate
Police estimated around 17,000 people took part in the protest today
Demonstrators hold banners reading ‘Stop! It is enough! Enough is enough’ as they are seen clearly not social distancing
Demonstrators hold a banner during a protest against the government’s restrictions amid the coroanvirus pandemic. Police used bullhorns to chide participants to adhere to social distancing rules and to wear masks, apparently with little success
They chanted, ‘We’re here and we’re loud, because we are being robbed of our freedom!’
Police used bullhorns to chide participants to adhere to social distancing rules and to wear masks, apparently with little success.
They tweeted that they were preparing a criminal complaint against the rally’s organizers for failing to enforce hygiene rules.
Police estimated that about 17,000 people turned up to the march, and demonstrators were kept apart from counterprotesters, some chanting ‘Nazis out!’
A demonstrator wearing a black bird mask is seen at today’s protest
Thousands of people gathered at the protest and were seen without face masks
Demonstrators waved banners and wore masks during the protest in Berlin
pleaded with Germans this week to observe the distancing and mask rules and, amid concern about residents bringing home infections from summer trips abroad, introduced free tests for people entering the country
Woman stage a counter protest during a demonstration
A demonstrator stands next to a sign reading ‘We need a Corona investigation committee’
A counter-protester holds a sign reading ‘Never Again’ and depicting Thuringia’s regional leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party
A woman carries a sign reading ‘End of the Corona dictaturship’ as she attends the demonstration
Demonstrators hold a banner reading ‘Nobody has the right to obey’ during the protests. A senior ally of Angela Merkel said earlier this week that a second wave of coronavirus has already hit Germany and that they are seeing new clusters of infections every day
Protests against anti-virus restrictions in Germany have long drawn a variety of attendees, including conspiracy theorists and right-wing populists.
Unlike the U.S., Brazil and Britain, Germany’s government has been praised worldwide for its management of the pandemic.
The country’s death toll – just over 9,150 people out of more than 210,670 confirmed virus cases as of Saturday – is five times less than Britain’s, which has a smaller population.
In the 24 hours to July 31 there were 870 new infections.
The German government has been easing lockdown measures since late April but social distancing rules remain in place, as does a requirement to wear masks on public transit and in shops.
But officials have been warning against complacency as the number of new Covid-19 cases crept up recently.
They pleaded with Germans this week to observe the distancing and mask rules and, amid concern about residents bringing home infections from summer trips abroad, introduced free tests for people entering the country.
A senior ally of Angela Merkel said earlier this week that a second wave of coronavirus has already hit Germany and that they are seeing new clusters of infections every day.
A counter-protester holds a sign reading ‘we are many. Berlin against Nazis’
Demonstrators waved banners in the air and clapped their hands together as they marched through the streets
A demonstrator holds a heart-shaped banner reading ‘Love is the answer’ during a protest
A demonstrator waves a banner reading ‘Freedom’ in front of the Brandenburg Gate
Counter-protesters wear face masks and hold signs during the Berlin protest. The German government has been easing lockdown measures since late April but social distancing rules remain in place, as does a requirement to wear masks on public transit and in shops
Germany has plans to make coronavirus tests mandatory for travellers returning from high-risk areas, as fears rise that summer travel could spark a new surge in infections
A senior ally of Angela Merkel said earlier this week that a second wave of coronavirus has already hit Germany and that they are seeing new clusters of infections every day
Germany’s national disease control center registered 955 new cases Friday, a high figure by recent standards.
‘Thousands of #covidiots are celebrating themselves in Berlin as `the second wave,’ without distancing, without masks,’ tweeted Saskia Esken, a co-leader of the Social Democrats, the junior party in Germany’s governing coalition.
‘They are not just endangering our health, they are endangering our success against the pandemic and for the revival of the economy, education and society. Irresponsible!’
Germany will also make coronavirus tests mandatory for travellers returning from high-risk areas, as fears rise that summer travel could spark a new surge in infections.
It was also reported that Germany is carrying out coronavirus checks at airports and is considering making them compulsory to fend off a second wave of Covid-19.
Munich, Dortmund and Duesseldorf are among the airports which are screening travellers when they return from overseas, and Angela Merkel’s health minister is discussing plans to enforce them nationwide.