Global protests against pandemic restrictions gather steam
SYDNEY — More than 250 people who were protesting coronavirus lockdowns in Australia were arrested Saturday and many faced fines for defying health orders, authorities said.
At least seven police officers were treated for injuries after skirmishes broke out at some of the protests, which took place in multiple cities nationwide.
The largest and most violent protest was in Melbourne. Many were organized by people in encrypted online chat groups.
Sydney has been in lockdown for two months, while Melbourne and the capital, Canberra, went into lockdown earlier this month.
Under the rules of the lockdown, people are mostly confined to their homes and have limits placed on their social interactions. Despite those measures, Sydney’s New South Wales state reported a record 825 new daily community infections on Saturday. Several cities are battling outbreaks of the highly contagious delta variant.
Protestors say the lockdowns should end, but authorities say they are necessary to suppress the spread of the virus and save lives.
In Melbourne, a crowd of about 4,000 mostly unmasked protesters let off flares, yelled and blasted music. Victoria state police arrested 218 people and issued more than 200 fines, each for more than $3,850.
Six Victoria state police officers were hospitalized and three people remained in custody for reportedly assaulting police. Officers used pepper spray on several people, saying in a statement they were left with no choice.
In New South Wales, police said they arrested 47 people and fined more than 260 in relation to protests across the state. They also issued 137 tickets after stopping around 38,000 cars that were approaching the city.
New South Wales state police said a 32-year-old man who reportedly assaulted an officer was arrested and they expected to file charges. The officer was taken to an area hospital for head and neck injuries, authorities said.
New South Wales Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon said police expected to identify more people through surveillance and social media footage.
PROTESTING THE PASS
Thousands marched Saturday in cities across France to protest the covid-19 health pass that is now required to access restaurants and cafes, cultural venues, sports arenas and long-distance travel.
For a sixth-straight Saturday, opponents denounced what they see as a restriction of their freedom. Many criticized the measure, claiming the French government was implicitly making vaccines obligatory.
In Paris, four demonstrations were organized by different groups and over 200 protests were taking place elsewhere in French cities and towns. Last week, more than 200,000 marchers turned out.
The pass shows that people are fully vaccinated, have had a recent negative test or proof of a recent covid-19 recovery. The law authorizing it also made vaccinations mandatory for French health workers by Sept. 15.
Despite the protests, polls have shown that the majority of French people support the health pass.
Millions have received their first vaccine shot since French President Emmanuel Macron announced the measure on July 12. Just over 60% of people in France are fully vaccinated.
Since last month, France is registering a high number of infections — about 22,000 each day, a figure that has remained stable over the past week.
‘UNMUTE US’
Hundreds of performers and music festival organizers held marches through six Dutch cities Saturday to protest what they argue are unfair restrictions that have forced the cancellation of summer music festivals and other events.
Thousands of people attended one of the “Unmute Us” marches in Amsterdam, walking and dancing behind a convoy of trucks carrying DJs and sound systems pumping out music.
Leonie der Verkleij, a freelancer who works in hospitality services at events, was among those marching in Amsterdam.
“The festival industry feels like an unwanted child,” she said. “It feels like all sectors are important except ours.”
Amsterdam municipality appealed mid-afternoon for no more people to join the march as it was too crowded.
The Dutch government has banned large-scale events such as festivals until at least Sept. 19 amid fears over the spread of the highly infectious delta variant. One-day events with a maximum of 750 visitors are allowed for people with a covid-19 app showing they have been vaccinated, have recently tested negative or have recovered from a case in the past six months.
Organizers of Saturday’s protest want the ban lifted on Sept. 1. They point to overseas events and the return of crowds to soccer stadiums — with proof of vaccination, recovery from covid-19 or a negative test — as evidence that people can congregate in large numbers without infection numbers surging.
Jasper Goossen of Apenkooi Events, which organizes dance festivals, said hundreds of festivals have been canceled due to the pandemic, crippling an industry that employs 100,000 people.
“There are so many passionate people working in this industry and they are all having a tough time. We want to move forward, not stand still,” he said.
Dutch organizers point to festivals in other countries that have not turned into superspreader events, such as the summer’s Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago. Authorities in Chicago said they had linked 203 covid-19 cases to the four-day event that drew 385,000 people.
Marchers carried homemade banners reading: “Music = Medicine” and “Don’t Cancel Culture.”
Festivals are a traditional feature of the European summer, but many have been canceled or postponed this year. In England, many of the biggest events, such as Glastonbury in southwest England and BST Hyde Park in London, were cancelled for the second year running because of the pandemic.
But the lifting of all remaining restrictions on social contact in England on July 19 has at least allowed some to take place.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Netherlands eased slightly over the past two weeks, going from 16.45 new cases per 100,000 people on Aug. 6 to 15.05 new cases per 100,000 people on Aug. 20. Nearly 18,000 people have died in the Netherlands of covid-19.
Melvin van Pelt, a DJ and producer who works under the name Tahko, said he’s worked in government testing and vaccination centers to help pay his rent and agrees with many coronavirus measures, but he’s had enough of the festival ban.
“I am sick of it. I’m angry. I no longer feel represented by my own government,” he said.
Under the rules of the lockdown, people are mostly confined to their homes and have limits placed on their social interactions. Despite those measures, Sydney’s New South Wales state reported a record 825 new daily community infections on Saturday. Several cities are battling outbreaks of the highly contagious delta variant.