Berlin police detained more than 100 people on protests against restrictive measures related to COVID-19, according to law enforcement officials on Twitter.
On Saturday, several hundred people gathered in central Berlin to protest against the restrictive measures introduced by the authorities to combat the coronavirus epidemic. The rally was supposed to take place at Rosa Luxemburg Square, but the police blocked the passage to it.
As a result, no more than 100 people gathered on the square itself, the rest stood at the fences in the adjacent streets. The action lasted a little over an hour, people dispersed peacefully, the police did not use special equipment.
“Our operation on Rosa Luxemburg Square is over. Thanks to the closure of the surrounding streets, we were able to prevent a large meeting. Many nonetheless violated the rule of maintaining the distance. More than 100 people were detained”, – the statement said.
The protesters “main demand was” restoration of constitutional rights. They consider restrictive measures a violation of their civil and economic rights. At the same time, in Berlin, as in other regions of Germany, rallies are prohibited until May 4, moreover, it is forbidden to gather in groups of more than two people, only if it is not about relatives or cohabitants.
In Germany, at present, 152 thousand cases of COVID-19 are officially confirmed, 5.5 thousand people have died. In Berlin, these figures are 5.5 thousand and 147 deaths, respectively. Amid a slowdown in the growth of new cases, from April 21, Germany began to phase out the restrictive measures, but most of them are still valid and it is expected that the new mitigation phase will begin on May 4.
At the same time, the data from the ZDF TV show “Political Barometer” show that 87% of Germans consider the restrictions on leaving the house and the prohibition of contacts of more than two people in public places, the majority (81%) are of the opinion that enough is done in Germany to protect from the spread of coronavirus.