Protesters Storm Parliament during Berlin Rally against COVID-19 Measures (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Police in Berlin broke up a protest against coronavirus curbs on Saturday and arrested 300 people after demonstrators failed to social distance and wear masks, as other European cities held similar "anti-COVID" marches.
Police in the German capital disbanded the mass protest against COVID-19 curbs just several hours after it started, Euronews reported.
"Unfortunately, we have no other option," Berlin police said on Twitter. "All the measures taken so far have not led to compliance with the conditions."
Following the protest, far-right extremists tried to storm the German parliament building but were intercepted by police and forcibly removed.
Hundreds of people, some waving the flag of the German Reich of 1871-1918 and other far-right banners, broke through a cordon and “entered the staircase of the Reichstag building, but not the building itself", according to the authorities.
“Stones and bottles were thrown at our colleagues,” police said, adding that "force had to be used to push them back.”
Interior Minister Horst Seehofer called for "zero tolerance" against "vandals and extremists" in a statement issued on the incident.
Around 38,000 coronavirus sceptics marched in Berlin after a court initially gave the go-ahead for the demonstration.
With new coronavirus cases rising since lockdown measures were lifted several months ago, European countries have implemented tighter regulations to contain the outbreak that has killed more than 847,000 globally.
