38,000 people took part in Saturday’s March in Berlin, more than 300 of them were detained. The police reported that there were pockets of unrest in the city. The protest was triggered by an increase in the number of infections in Europe and growing public dissatisfaction with measures to contain the spread of the virus in some countries of the Old world. Similar events took place on Saturday in Paris, London and other European cities, the Guardian said. According to some media reports, the overwhelming number of detainees are members of far-right organizations that hold Nazi views. At the same time, participants of actions in social networks refute this information.
In Berlin, opponents of measures to combat the coronavirus were dispersed
The authorities of the German capital clarified that the action in Berlin by opponents of restrictive measures during the pandemic did not pose a threat to the Russian Embassy. According to the Berlin Senator for internal Affairs Andreas Geisel, quoted by TASS, up to three thousand right-wing extremists gathered in the area of the Russian Embassy in Berlin, protesting against the anti-coronavirus measures of the German government. “It got to the point where stones and bottles were thrown at the police,” the politician said, adding that there was no threat to the Russian Embassy.
Berlin police tried to break up a mass protest in the German capital a few hours after it began, because the participants of the March did not observe social distance and demonstratively did not wear masks, as they were told by security forces. There were several thousand people at the demonstration at the Brandenburg gate by early evening, some throwing stones and bottles at the guards. Police arrested about 200 demonstrators, Berlin interior Minister Andreas Geisel said, calling the group of protesters “extremist.” Seven police officers were injured in clashes with demonstrators, according to Reuters. According to Geisel, a separate protest was held nearby with the participation of about 30 thousand people, which lasted up to 21 hours, as the demonstrators observed the rules of social distance.
Berlin police said on Twitter that more demonstrators left the area of the mass rally after dark. This step was taken shortly after most of the crowd initially refused to disperse. The police also reported “numerous new arrests”. “Among those arrested is a well – known author of vegan cookbooks,” the Berlin police said.