Thousands of people protest in Berlin against coronavirus policies

On Saturday, thousands of people rallied in Berlin to protest against the government of Germany against coronavirus policies.

As helicopters observed from above, riot police moved alongside demonstrators, the majority of protesters  were unmasked.

Across Berlin, large but scattered groups of demonstrators waved German flags and chanted anti lockdown slogans of Querdenker group — a movement which includes coronavirus skeptics, far-right activists and anti-vaxxers.

Nine planned demonstrations have been banned by Berlin authorities  including a Querdenker rally.

However, one of the protests successfully challenged the ban of police court and obtained authorization for a gathering of up to 500 people on Saturday and Sunday.

There were 4,200 police officers on standby, including officers from Baden-Württemberg, Lower Saxony, Bavaria, and Saxony, who were dispatched to the city to help their Berlin colleagues.

“Experience has shown that a large number of people do come to the city and do not follow the ban,” said a police spokesperson before the demonstrations.

“The police will enforce the assembly bans, be present accordingly and protect the government quarter in particular,” the spokesperson added.

In der Stadt laufen derzeit mehrere Versammlungen, einige sind schon beendet. Mehrere tausend Personen, die sich unangemeldet am Volkspark Friedrichshain zusammengefunden haben, laufen derzeit von uns begleitet durch die Innenstadt.#b2808

— Polizei Berlin Einsatz (@PolizeiBerlin_E) August 28, 2021