Although coverage of anti-lockdown protests has focused largely on groups in the United States, a demonstration against masking and other anti-coronavirus efforts drew tens of thousands to the streets of Berlin this weekend, even as German officials say a new domestic coronavirus spike may be underway.
Around 20,000 people joined the attended the Berlin protest Saturday, according to the BBC. Organizers had billed the event as a “day of freedom” from Germany’s restrictive lockdown measures, which include a mandatory masking order.
Protesters, the outlet noted, carried signs that read, “Corona, false alarm” and “We are being forced to wear a muzzle,” and chanted that “masks make us slaves.” A seemingly surprised BBC said that “some participants were from the far-right and some were conspiracy theorists who do not believe Covid-19 exists, but others were ordinary people who simply object to the government’s approach to the pandemic.”
“‘We are the second wave,’ shouted the crowd, a mixture of hard left and right and conspiracy theorists as they converged on the Brandenburg Gate, demanding ‘resistance’ and dubbing the pandemic ‘the biggest conspiracy theory,'” AFP added.
Few of the marchers wore masks or maintained strict social distancing in accordance with Germany’s anti-coronavirus restrictions. Police broke up the protest after receiving complaints about the potential spread of the virus.
Europe is reportedly now experiencing a rise in coronavirus cases and Germany has not been left out of the uptick. On Friday, the German government reported around 900 new cases of COVID-19 and 7 new deaths. That’s substantial, according to the Wall Street Journal, though not as substantial as rises in other countries, like Spain, where vacationers are driving a shocking resurgence.
“Spain’s national health ministry reported 2,255 new cases on Friday, following its report of 2,615 new cases on Thursday,” the WSJ said last week. “On Monday, Spain said new cases swelled to 6,361 between midday Friday and the same time Monday.”
The virus is affecting more younger individuals, as in the United States, the WSJ notes, and taking less of a deadly toll.
“Between July 20 and July 25, the incidence rate of Covid-19 among French people between the ages of 20 and 29 was 19.6 per 100,000 inhabitants. That compares with 9.7 per 100,000 inhabitants for the French population as a whole, according to health authorities,” the WSJ said Sunday. “In Italy, the median age of new infections over the past month has dropped to around 40, compared with over 60 during the lockdown in April. And data from Germany’s center for disease control, the Robert Koch Institute, shows a small increase in young people among those testing positive.”
Authorities worry the toll will rise even higher as Europeans embark on mid-summer vacations. In places like Spain, where the beaches attract a younger, party-goer crowd, lockdown measures are now back in place, many bars are closed, and beach getaways are off-limits.