Protests in Europe as partial lockdowns reimposed over Covid-19 surge

PARIS: Thousands of protesters angry at Covid-19 restrictions rallied in cities across Europe on Saturday as several nations reimposed partial lockdowns to fight new surges in infections.

The coronavirus, which has killed more than 2.7 million people, has been spreading faster recently, with the number of new infections up globally by 14 percent in the last week, according to AFP data.

That has forced governments to impose social distancing and movement restrictions again, even as vaccines are rolled out, with residents in Poland, parts of France, and Ukraine’s capital the latest to face fresh curbs.

But populations have grown increasingly weary of the economically painful restrictions, and frustrations spilled over in cities across Europe with thousands marching in Germany, Britain and Switzerland.

Protesters in the German city of Kassel held up signs including “End the Lockdown” and “Corona Rebels”, as they participated in a protest organised by activists from the far-left and the far-right, as well as peddlers of baseless conspiracy theories about the pandemic and vaccines.

Authorities used water cannon, batons and pepper spray to disperse the Kassel protesters, which a Kassel police spokesman said numbered between 15,000 and 20,000, one of the largest such rallies this year.

Thousands rallied in London against virus curbs, including many carrying signs promoting coronavirus conspiracy theories.

Police said 36 people were arrested, most for breaking those restrictions, with a spokesman adding that a group of around 100 demonstrators threw missiles at officers.

There were also anti-restrictions protests in Amsterdam, Vienna, the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, and the Swiss town of Liestal.