Germany slams mass protest

Inquiry sought after people with no masks packed together

BERLIN — German officials on Sunday condemned the actions of 20,000 people who demonstrated against coronavirus restrictions by jamming together in a Leipzig city square largely without wearing masks, and called for an investigation into how the protest was able to get out of control.

The eastern city had tried to move Saturday’s demonstration to a larger location after calculating only 5,000 people could gather in Augustusplatz plaza and maintain a safe distance from one another. A court at the last minute overturned the city’s order, however, and the demonstration went ahead.

After it ballooned to more than 20,000 people and authorities determined that coronavirus regulations mandating mask wearing and social distancing weren’t being followed, the crowd was told to disperse. But thousands lingered, some scuffling with reporters and throwing projectiles and fireworks at police.

“What we saw yesterday in Leipzig cannot be justified,” said Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht. “The freedom to demonstrate is not a freedom to use violence or put others at massive risk.”

She “strongly condemned” the attacks on police and the press.

“The mockery of science and rightwing hate speech that we have seen are abhorrent,” she said.

She called for an investigation into how the situation was able to escalate, a sentiment echoed by many, including opposition parties.

“It cannot be that the state stands by and watches as journalists are attacked doing their work and the majority of the demonstrators clearly ignoring the conditions,” said Konstantin Kuhle of the opposition FDP party.

In other global developments:

■ The coronavirus has hit another sobering milestone: more than 50 million positive cases worldwide since the pandemic began.

Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus tracker reported more than 50.2 million COVID-19 cases globally as of Sunday.

■ India reported 45,674 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, with the capital coping with a sharp surge of nearly 7,000 cases a day this week.

India’s tally of confirmed cases has exceeded 8.5 million. The Health Ministry on Sunday also reported 559 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking total fatalities to 126,121.

Schools in Cambodia’s capital and the surrounding area will be shut for two weeks as a precaution after Hungary’s foreign minister tested positive for the coronavirus after visiting Cambodia last week, the Education Ministry said Sunday. Schools throughout Cambodia reopened last Monday after being closed since March due to the coronavirus.