German police clash with protesters over virus measures
BERLIN — Protesters in Germany clashed with police Saturday over coronavirus measures, with officers using water cannons, pepper spray and batons against people trying to break through police barriers, German news agency dpa reported.
Protests against government measures to rein in the pandemic also were reported in several other countries across Europe, including Austria, Britain, Finland, Romania and Switzerland.
More than 20,000 people participated in the protest in the central German city of Kassel, where there also were confrontations between the demonstrators and counterprotesters.
Thousands of people marched through downtown Kassel despite a court ban, and most didn’t comply with protocols such as wearing face masks. Some protesters attacked officers and several journalists, dpa said.
Federal police used water cannons and helicopters to control the crowds, the news agency reported.
Police said several people were detained but didn’t give any numbers.
Virus infections have gone up again in Germany in recent weeks, and the government is set to decide this week on how to react.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday that Germany will have to apply an “emergency brake” and reverse some recent relaxations of restrictions as coronavirus infections accelerate.
Protesters also hit the streets in other cities across Europe. In London, demonstrators opposing the U.K.’s monthslong lockdown defied police who warned of potential fines and arrest for violating prohibitions on most group meetings.
In Finland, police estimated that about 400 people without masks and packed tightly together gathered in the capital, Helsinki, to protest government-imposed COVID-19 restrictions. Smaller demonstrations were scheduled in other Finnish cities.
In Austria, about 1,000 protesters participated in a demonstrations against the government’s virus measures near Vienna’s central train station.
In Switzerland, more than 5,000 protesters met for a silent march in the community of Liestal, local media reported. Most didn’t wear masks and some held up banners with slogans like “Vaccinating kills.”