Riot police clashed with hundreds of protesters in Berlin yesterday during a demonstration against coronavirus lockdown in Germany.
Despite the central government easing lockdown on Wednesday, infected cases have begun to rise in Germany again, with some states saying they will not lift measures if the numbers continue to spike.
Overall infections rose by 1,251 cases yesterday with 147 new deaths.
In Berlin, hundreds of protesters swarmed Alexanderplatz, defying the government’s limit of 50 people for outside gatherings, clashing with riot officers and shouting ‘Wir sind das Volk!’ [‘We are the people!’] and ‘Freiheit!’ [‘Freedom!’].
A protester of conspiracy theorists is detained during a demonstration in front of the Reichstag, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Berlin, Germany yesterday
Police officers pepper spray protesters during a demonstration at Alexanderplatz, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Berlin, Germany yesterday
A general view shows a demonstration against the restrictions implemented to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, at the grounds of the Cannstatter Wasen festival in Stuttgart, southern Germany yesterday
A protester is detained by police officers during a demonstration at Alexanderplatz, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Berlin, Germany yesterday
Across the country, over 3,000 people were reported to have descended on Munich and thousands more flocked to Stuttgart, incensed by the government’s management of the pandemic.
Unlike Berlin, these demonstrations were largely peaceful.
They accused politicians of drawing out the restriction on movement and argued that the actions infringed on their human rights.
The central German government, headed by Chancellor Angela Merkel, eased lockdown on Wednesday after consistently reporting decreasing numbers.
Data revealed by the Robert Koch Institute today showed an increase of confirmed cases from 1,251 to 168,551 with the death toll spiking by 147.
Police officers stand guard with dogs during the demonstration to protest the measures taken against the new type of coronavirus (Covid-19) in Berlin, Germany yesterday
A protester is detained during a demonstration in front of the Reichstag, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Berlin, Germany yesterday. The t-shirt reads: ‘Don’t give anything to them, take it all’
A protester is detained by police officers during a demonstration at Alexanderplatz, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Berlin, Germany yesterday
A woman is covered in a virus costume to protest against government lockdown measures during the novel coronavirus crisis today in Stuttgart, Germany
A woman hands out a white rose to a police officer as she demonstrates at Rosa Luxemburg Platz, amid the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Berlin, Germany yesterday
Concerns have also been raised at the country’s R number, the rate at which the virus spreads from each person, reached 1.1 by RKI today, Deutsche Welle reported.
RKI scientists warned that it would be necessary to monitor developments before they could judge whether the virus would begin to spread again.
Protesters in Munich were largely non-violent, according to Deutsche Welle, and police decided not to disperse the group.
They blared out social-distancing advice on loudspeakers, which was ignored.
A group of 25 right-wing protesters also tagged along to the demonstration and were moved on by authorities.
In Stuttgart, protesters largely followed social-distancing guidelines, according to reports.
A protester is detained by police officers during a demonstration at Alexanderplatz, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Berlin, Germany yesterday
People gesture as they demonstrate at Alexanderplatz, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Berlin, Germany yesterday
Riot police arrest a hooded man during a protest rally against coronavirus restrictions on Alexanderplatz during the novel coronavirus crisis on yesterday in Berlin, Germany
People shout abuse at riot police during a protest rally against coronavirus restrictions on Alexanderplatz during the novel coronavirus crisis yesterday in Berlin, Germany
In Berlin, 30 people were apprehended at a rally at Alexanderplatz, where hundreds of protesters ignored the maximum of 50 people at outdoor events rule.
Yesterday, local authorities in Germany said they would reinstate lockdown measures after coronavirus infections spiked days after Angela Merkel started to ease them.
Germany has 16 federal states, with the power to relax restrictions, who have all agreed to reimpose lockdown if new cases hit 50 per 100,000 people over seven days.
The regional government in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populated state and home to Cologne and Dortmund, recorded a spike in coronavirus cases after 150 of 1,200 employees tested positive at a slaughterhouse in Coesfeld.
The regional government has postponed reopening restaurants, tourist spots, fitness studios and larger shops which was supposed to happen on May 11.
Reopening schools and daycare centres is set to go ahead as planned.
North Rhine-Westphalia’s health minister Karl-Josef Laumann said the slaughterhouse infection rate had pushed the region above 50 per 100,000 people to 61 per 100,000 people.
Riot police arrest a woman during a protest rally against coronavirus restrictions on Alexanderplatz during the novel coronavirus crisis yesterday in Berlin, Germany
Police officers take a demonstrator into custody during a protest against restrictions to stem the spread of novel coronavirus (Covid-19), in Berlin, Germany yesterday
Police officers stand guard with dogs during the demonstration to protest the measures taken against the new type of coronavirus (Covid-19) in Berlin, Germany yesterday
A different slaughterhouse in the northern state Schleswig-Holstein also saw a rise in employees testing positive for the virus taking the district’s infection rate over the 50 per 100,000 people threshold.
In the eastern state of Thuringia, the local government recorded more than 80 infections per 100,000 people over the past week.
The majority of these infections were among employees and residents in six care homes and one geriatrics hospital.
Martina Schweinsburg, the chief administrator of Thuringia’s Greiz, said: ‘To be clear: We’re not going to put the entire district in quarantine just two small towns were particularly affected.’
This is a setback to Angela Merkel’s efforts to ease Germany’s lockdown measures on Wednesday.
She said the country had defeated ‘the first phase of the pandemic’ because it had a slowing infection rate and a low mortality rate.