Protesters hold demonstrations against Covid-19 restrictions across Berlin

Protesters against coronavirus restrictions have gathered in Berlin for a demonstration titled The end of the pandemic freedom day.

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Coronavirus | Berlin | COVID-19

AP  |  Berlin 

Protesters against restrictions have gathered in for a demonstration titled The end of the pandemic freedom day. It comes amid increasing concern about an upturn in infections in Germany.

A crowd of people whistling and cheering and with few masks in sight marched from the Brandenburg Gate on Saturday ahead of a rally on a wide boulevard that runs through the city's Tiergarten park.

Protesters held up homemade placards featuring slogans that included Corona, false alarm, We are being forced to wear a muzzle and Natural defense instead of vaccination.

Some chanted We're here and we're loud, because we are being robbed of our freedom.

Demonstrations against restrictions this year have drawn a variety of people, including some conspiracy theorists and right-wing populists. People came from various parts of Germany for Saturday's protest.

Germany's management of the pandemic has widely been viewed as relatively successful, with a lower death rate than comparable countries.

The country has been easing lockdown measures since late April but social-distancing rules remain in place, as does a requirement to wear masks in public transport and shops.

Infection figures have crept up over the past few weeks and officials have warned against complacency.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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First Published: Sat, August 01 2020. 18:01 IST