Thousands gather in Berlin for 'anti-corona'
protest against Covid-19 restrictions
Police say protesters will be cleared if they do not
adhere to coronavirus safety rules
Agence
France-Presse in Berlin
Sat 29 Aug
2020 12.11 BST
Thousands
of coronavirus sceptics have gathered in Berlin for a protest against pandemic
restrictions that was allowed to go ahead after a bitter legal battle.
Police said
they would turn out in force and strictly monitor compliance with mask wearing
and social distancing. The city’s top officer, Barbara Slowik, said that if the
demonstrators did not adhere to virus safety rules, police would clear the area
very quickly.
“We will
not be able or willing to watch tens of thousands assemble and create infection
risks,” she said.
Berlin city
authorities had previously decided not to allow the demonstration to go ahead,
fearing that the estimated 22,000 protesters would not keep 1.5 metres apart
from one another or comply with face mask requirements.
The ban,
however, sparked outrage from organisers and their supporters who flooded
social media with angry messages vowing to protest anyway. Some even called for
violence.
Berlin’s
administrative court sided with the demonstrators one the eve of the event. It
said there was no indication that organisers would deliberately ignore social
distancing rules and endanger public health.
A crowd
including families with children gathered on Saturday morning around
Brandenburg Gate, the starting point of the demonstration.
“I’m not an
extreme rightwing sympathiser. I’m here to defend our fundamental freedoms,”
said Stefan, a 43-year-old Berliner resident wearing a T-shirt bearing the
words “thinking helps”.
“We’re here
to say we have to be careful. Coronavirus crisis or not, we must defend our
freedoms,” said Christina Holz, a 22-year-old student.
Around
3,000 police officers, including 1,000 federal police, would be deployed for
the demonstration, alongside specialist equipment including water cannon,
Slowik said.
The rally
comes as coronavirus cases continue to rise in Germany. Daily new infection
numbers have reached their highest level since April.
Angel
Merkel said at a press conference on Friday that confronting the virus would
become more challenging in the autumn and winter months.
The
chancellor and the leaders of Germany’s 16 federal states introduced tougher
restrictions on Thursday, including a minimum 50 euro (£45) fine for people
caught not wearing face masks where one is compulsory.
“We will
have to live with this virus for a long time to come. It is still serious.
Please continue to take it seriously,” Merkel said.
The court
decision to allow the protest shines a light on the battle lines being drawn up
between those who are content to follow government protection measures and
those who believe that authorities should not be able to dictate how people
live.
A similar
“anti-corona” march in Berlin at the beginning of August drew 20,000
protesters, a mixture of the hard left and right, anti-vaccination campaigners,
conspiracy theorists and self-described “free thinkers”.
Police
broke up the protest early after participants repeatedly flouted Covid-19
safety regulations.
The
far-right welcomed Friday’s court ruling allowing the latest rally to go ahead.
Leif-Erik Holm, an MP for the anti-migrant AfD party, called it “a victory for
freedom”.
Several
groups intend to stage counter-demonstrations to the main protest.
Anne Helm
and MP from the leftwing party Die Linke, said: “There must be no tolerance
towards racists, antisemites, rightwing extremists and Nazis. That is why I
call on all Berliners to take part in the counter-events.”
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