German Authorities Slam Violations Of COVID Restrictions At Recent Rallies As Unacceptable

BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd August, 2020) The German government views the demonstrations held without observing epidemic prevention measures as unacceptable, Interior Ministry spokesman Steve Alter said on Monday, commenting on the recent rallies held in Berlin against restrictions aimed at combating the coronavirus pandemic.

On Saturday, some 20,000 people gathered for an anti-lockdown rally in the German capital. The event ended early at the demand of police, as protesters neither wore face masks nor maintained a social distance. After some of the demonstrators refused to disperse, law enforcement officers began to detain people. Separately, a protest against deportations and fascism was staged in Berlin. The protest turned violent as demonstrators, who also did not comply with protection measurements, started hurling stones at police.

"Demonstrations like the ones we saw last weekend, with an eye on infectious safety, are a threat to our health, and are unacceptable in this form," Alter said at a briefing.

According to the spokesman, though the right to freedom of assembly is of the highest value and also should be guaranteed in times of crisis, people should pay attention to aspects of the law on infectious protection. The recent rallies in Berlin "failed to connect these two things," the official added.

Meanwhile, German government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said that the authorities condemned the violations of the infectious protection law during the rallies, as well as attempts to hamper the work of reporters.

The events took place while Germany is struggling to contain a second wave of the infection after seeing the epidemic rebound in the past few weeks. So far, the country has confirmed 210,402 infections, including 9,148 fatalities and 193,500 recoveries.