Spaniards hold anti-mask protest in Madrid as gov adds new restrictions

France 24
Mon, 17 Aug 2020 01:21 UTC

© REUTERS/Juan Medina

A man smokes a cigarette with his eyes covered by a face mask as he takes part in a protest against the use of protective masks in Madrid, Spain August 16, 2020

Chanting "freedom", hundreds of people rallied Sunday in Madrid to protest against the mandatory use of facemasks and other restrictions imposed by the Spanish government to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

Comment: Or to slam the public into obedience towards government diktates - depending on your point of view and knowledge base.

A crowd of clapping and cheering people gathered beneath an enormous yellow and red Spanish flag that stands in the Plaza Colon in the centre of the city in response to calls on social media.

Protesters held up home-made placards featuring slogans that included "The virus does not exist", "Masks kill" and "We are not afraid".

The demonstration drew a variety of attendees, including conspiracy theorists, libertarians and opponents of vaccination.

Comment: Of course you have to be a conspiracy theorist to think and look at any information that contradicts the corporate media's propaganda about the virus (or anything else).

Pilar Martin, a 58-year-old housewife from the northeastern city of Zaragoza, said she had come to Madrid for the rally because she believed governments around the world were exaggerating the number of infections to curb people's freedoms.

"They are forcing us to use a mask, they want us to stay home practically locked up. It's obvious that they are continuously tricking us with talk of outbreaks. It's all a lie," she told AFP at the rally.

Comment: Correct on all counts.

A number of participants cited a slickly edited documentary dubbed "Plandemic" which has been removed from several social media platforms including YouTube and Facebook because it was found to have false claims, such as that wearing masks can cause harm or that vaccines have "killed millions".

Comment: It was found to have false claims by who? Those who are paid to say so and fit the facts around the agenda we're seeing unfold, that's who.

Many protesters did not wear a mask even though it is required by law in public across Spain, which has seen a surge in new infections since it lifted its three-month lockdown measures on June 21.

Mask-wearing was initially imposed in early May as a requirement for those using public transport, and was later expanded in a country where the virus has killed nearly 29,000 people.

The protest comes two days after the government announced new restrictions to curb the spread of the virus, including the closure of discos and a ban on smoking in public areas when it is not possible to keep at least two metres from other people.

Story via AFP

Comment: Even more restrictions have been imposed in Italy as well:

Italy is to shut discos and clubs and make it compulsory to wear a mask outdoors in some areas during the night-time in the first reimposition of restrictions as cases of coronavirus pick up across the country, especially among younger people.

[...]

The new rules will start on Monday - two days after an Italian holiday when many young Italians go out dancing - and will run until early September.

Masks will be required between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. in areas close to bars and pubs and where gatherings are more likely.

"We cannot nullify the sacrifices made in past months. Our priority must be that of opening schools in September, in full safety," Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Facebook.

Speranza on Saturday urged young people to be as cautious as possible as "if they infect their parents and their grandparents, they risk creating real damage".

And following the US's lead in its oppression of religious observers, South Korea is quarantining thousands of its church members:

The coronavirus outbreak linked to the Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul, the worst in nearly six months, has led to a tightening of social distancing rules. A total of 315 cases connected to the church have been confirmed so far, officials said on Monday.

[...]

Authorities have warned that the current situation is an initial stage of a large-scale transmission. "We're facing a crisis where if the current spread isn't controlled, it would bring an exponential rise in cases, which could in turn lead to the collapse of our medical system and enormous economic damage," KCDC director Jeong Eun-kyeong said.

The country's Vice Health Minister said earlier the Presbyterian church had provided inaccurate lists of its 4,000 members. While nearly 320 of them had tested positive, including Reverend Jun Kwang-hoon, more than 600 who authorities want to see in isolation were unaccounted for.

Jun, the leader of the church, is a conservative activist who has also been organizing anti-government rallies calling for the ouster of liberal President Moon Jae-in. A prosecutors' office said on Sunday it wanted Jun's bail revoked as he faces earlier charges of violating election laws.

In February, authorities struggled to contain an outbreak that emerged in a secretive Christian sect in the city of Daegu and became the country's deadliest cluster.