Berlin Police Use Water Cannons on Protest Over Restrictions
World
Asharq Al-Awsat
German police fired water cannons at demonstrators in downtown Berlin protesting coronavirus restrictions after saying that the crowd refused to listen to their entreaties to wear masks and keep their distance from one another in line with regulations. As the cannons shot into the crowd outside the landmark Brandenburg Gate on Wednesday, police in riot gear moved through the crowd carrying away some protesters. Some demonstrators threw fireworks and flares in response. The protests came as German lawmakers opened debate on a bill that will provide the legal underpinning for the government to issue social distancing rules, require masks in public and close stores and other venues to slow the spread of the virus. While such measures are supported by most people in Germany, a vocal minority has staged regular rallies around the country arguing that the restrictions are unconstitutional. The measures are expected to pass both the lower and then upper house of parliament and be quickly signed by Germany's president, The Associated Press reported. Thousands of people protesting German measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus rallied Wednesday outside barricades cordoning off Berlin's government center as lawmakers debated a bill that would strengthen officials' ability to impose restrictions. A series of protests directly outside the parliament building were banned due to security concerns, and fencing was put up around a wide area, including the Bundestag and nearby parliamentary offices, the federal chancellery and the presidential residence and offices, in case any protesters decided to defy the ban. The crowds were being observed by police helicopters and water-cannon trucks stood waiting nearby in case they were needed. "We want our lives back," read one sign carried by protesters. Another said "Put banks under surveillance, not citizens." Germany, which has been praised for its handling of the first wave of the virus, has recently seen a sharp uptick in numbers of new infections and is now midway through a second partial lockdown meant to try and slow the spread. Overall the country has seen 833,000 coronavirus cases and more than 13,000 virus-confirmed deaths in the pandemic, a death toll one-fourth that of Britain's.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2632641/berlin-police-use-water-cannons-protest-over-restrictions
No comments:
Post a Comment