British police arrest 19 at London protest against social distancing
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| British police arrest 19 at London protest against social distancing |
LONDON : In Munich, organisers asked authorities to give the green light for a rally of up to 10,000 people on the Thersienwiese, a large square in the city centre on which Munich normally stages its world famous Oktoberfest beer festival.
But city officials pointed to the need to respect social distancing rules and allowed a demonstration of up to 1,000 people.
The hard core of protesters is being led by several new groups.
Protesters in Germany gathered at a park with police officers wearing face masks near by.
Police officers observe a demonstration in Munich, Germany.One group is Resistance 2020, led by a lawyer from eastern Leipzig and a doctor from south-western Germany who question official corona statistics and view the main political parties as constructs of an elitist rule.
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Download the ABC News app and subscribe to our range of news alerts for the latest on how the pandemic is impacting the world.Another group called COMPACT describes itself as the "sharp sword against imperial propaganda". It declares on its website that it is helping the "information offensive" for the growing protest movement.
British police arrest 19 at London protest against social distancing
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| British police arrest 19 at London protest against social distancing |
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German media have suggested Russia could be behind a misinformation campaign that is spurring on protesters.
After winning global respect for keeping the death rate low in Germany, Ms Merkel last week bowed to pressure from some of Germany's powerful regional premiers and agreed to a gradual re-opening of schools, shops and restaurants and even football.
However, Ms Merkel, a scientist, has repeatedly warned about a second wave of infections, and a brief uptick in the reproduction rate to above the critical threshold of 1 earlier this week caused fresh concern.
police stand in between police vehicles as people gather in the streets
Police officers block off the access roads to the market place in a protest against coronavirus restrictions in Gera, Germany.(AP: Bodo Schackow/Dpa)
The new coronavirus has so far infected more than 173,000 people in Germany and killed nearly 7,900.
Most Germans approve Ms Merkel's crisis management, with polls showing support for her conservative CDU/CSU alliance surging to 40 per cent.
Dozens arrested in Poland
Dozens of people, including a senator, were detained during a protest of business owners in the Polish capital against restrictions brought in to tackle the new coronavirus.
Warsaw police used tear gas against protesters, intervening in the demonstration after the city's administrators claimed the gathering was illegal because it had not been previously approved.
Jacek Bury, a senator for the opposition Civic Platform party, said he was hurt by police when trying to defend another protester.
Police are pictured firing tear gas over a crowd of protesters demanding an end to restrictions.
Police fire tear gas towards protesters in Warsaw, Poland.(AP :Czarek Sokolowski)
Police said in a statement that public gatherings were still banned under government restrictions.
"Unfortunately we are dealing with cases of aggression towards police. Due to the attacks on civil servants, we used methods of direct confrontation such as physical force and [tear] gas," the Warsaw police said in a tweet.
However, police denied using force against Mr Bury — something that he claimed was a lie.
Poland imposed a strict lockdown in mid-March, and while the restrictions affecting the country's economy are being slowly loosened, many business people say there are still too many.
Protesters carrying signs saying, "Work and bread" and "It will be normal again" gathered in Warsaw's Old Town, saying restrictions need to be lifted further in order for them to sustain their livelihoods.
British police arrest 19 at London protest against social distancing
Hair salons and restaurants are expected to reopen with new safety measures in place on Monday.
Poland, with 38 million people, has more than 18,000 confirmed infections of the new virus and more than 900 deaths.
Spaniards call on government to resign
Protests sprang up around Spain on Saturday, with demonstrators gathering to bang pots and pans and call for the government to resign.
At the largest such demonstration, in Madrid's wealthy Salamanca neighbourhood, several hundred people gathered despite the efforts of police to enforce social-distancing.
a man wearing the spanish flag wearing a face mask walks infront of a group of other people in masks
Carrying Spanish flags and crying "viva Espana!" some denounced the leftist Government as communists seeking to ruin the country.
"I am against all the measures which this Government has used to manage the coronavirus," banker Jose Flores said.
"They need to test everybody so healthy people can get back to work and we can restart the economy," said a man who gave his name only as Carlos.
"The worst virus is going to be the virus of Pedro and Pablo, who are going to ruin 47 million Spaniards," he said, referring to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Deputy Prime Minister Pablo Iglesias.
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Similar protests took place in Zaragoza and the southern city of Seville, until recently a Socialist party stronghold.
"It doesn't matter what the demonstrations are about. The important thing is to maintain social distancing," Mr Sanchez said.
Silent protest held in Italy
In Italy, members of the Italian Hospitality Network held spontaneous protests in several cities amid concerns that restrictions would negatively affect their income.
Hospitality workers in Rome protested in front of the Pantheon, wearing their uniforms with a mourning armband while they stood in silence for several minutes.
Restaurant managers and owners are worried that the safety measures they will have to adopt will not allow them to work properly and could result in financial losses for the business, as well as the income of their employees.
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