At least 72 people were detained in Dresden
Demonstrations against quarantine measures were held on Saturday in Frankfurt am Main and Dresden even though German courts have banned demonstrations because of the danger of the spread of the coronavirus. At least 72 people have been temporarily detained in the administrative centre of Saxony alone, according to law enforcement authorities in Germany.
Authorities in Frankfurt am Main had earlier banned a demonstration by opponents of quarantine measures, a decision confirmed by the highest administrative court in the German state of Hesse. The court pointed out that in view of the 40,000 participants announced, the organisers had failed to present a sensible concept of hygiene and social distance. Nevertheless, several groups of protesters gathered in the city centre. A retaliatory demonstration by supporters of the restrictive measures was organised, in which around 450 people took part.
The police did their utmost to prevent clashes between the two groups and even threatened to use water cannons to disperse the protesters. Hundreds of police officers were on the scene. No detentions were reported in Frankfurt am Main.
In Dresden, the demonstration was also banned, first by the city authorities and then by Saxony’s highest administrative court. Alleged participants in the demonstration against the quarantine were prevented by the police from entering the city centre and two buses with protesters were sent back to the localities from where they were travelling to the Saxon capital. Particularly aggressive individuals were detained. According to the Dresden police, nearly 300 cases of disturbance were recorded.
Around 500 more people took part in the anti-quarantine rally in Erfurt, despite its ban.