Ignoring the ban, German protesters came into violent conflict with Berlin police over government measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Although several arranged protests were banned before the weekend, protesters gathered in set places in Germany’s capital early on Sunday.
There were over 2,000 police officers on patrol in the city this weekend. Most of them were harassed and attacked by protesters, Berlin Police said.
“They tried to break through the police cordon and pull out our colleagues,” an officer tweeted, adding they had to use pepper spray and batons.
In Berlin’s Charlottenburg district and Tiergarten Park, protests have led to several arrests, the department said.
When the protesters headed towards the Brandenburg Gate, the police warned through loudspeakers they would use water hoses if protesters kept marching.
In May, Germany reopened restaurants and bars in a step towards easing Covid-19 restrictions.
However, going to restaurants and staying at hotels requires proof of vaccination, recent recovery from Covid-19 or a negative PCR test result.
In Berlin last August, anti-lockdown protests attempted to storm the Parliament building, which political leaders widely criticized.
The Querdenker anti-lockdown movement is the largest and most prominent in Germany.
Querdenker has attracted thousands of supporters to its protests in Berlin and elsewhere throughout the country.
The anti-lockdown movement has also brought a mixture of protesters, like anti-vaxxers, Covid deniers, conspiracy theorists and right-wing extremists.
Germany’s Domestic Intelligence warned against the movement’s radical opinions earlier this year and put some of the supporters under surveillance.
The protests follow other widescale demonstrations against coronavirus measures around Europe.
The protests have erupted following other large-scale protests against Covid-19 around Europe.
In France, thousands clashed with the police over protests against vaccination requirements in the last three weeks.
In Italy, around 80,000 people protested throughout the country last week.
