August 29th march free to go-ahead, following coronavirus guidelines
The Berlin Senate's decision to ban the coronavirus protest planned for this weekend has been overturned by the Administrative Court.That said, the protest will still be under some restrictions - the court ruled that the organizers must follow all the laws and restrictions they are protesting against.
According to
a report from Deutsche Welle:
...the judges said protest organizers and participants must provide barriers in front of the stages where speeches will be held — and must regularly remind participants to observe social distancing rules and keep their distance.
Wearing masks was not included in the judge's guidelines for the protest.
The court's decision can be appealed by the Senate, but given the timeframe that seems unlikely at this stage.
Many thousands were reportedly traveling to Berlin regardless, as it was thought the protest organizers intended to go ahead in spite of the ban. A similar protest on August 1st (pictured above) drew tens of thousands of people.The Berlin protest is taking place alongside other events around the world for a global day of action.
Protests are planned for London, Ottawa, Paris and Zurich.If you have any information about other planned events, post them in the comments below and we'll add them to the list.
Comment: Not to be outdone, the German
police will be showing up in full force apparently:
Police in Berlin on Friday requested thousands of reinforcements from other parts of Germany to cope with planned protests over the weekend by people opposed to the country's coronavirus restrictions.
Authorities in the German capital had banned the protests earlier this week, citing demonstrations a few weeks ago during which participants flouted rules on social distancing and mask-wearing.
And like a self-fulfilling prophecy there were, indeed, some
clashes between police and protestors, ie. "The can protest, but we're sure going to make them pay for it!"
Multiple minor scuffles between police and protesters have erupted at a massive rally against coronavirus restrictions in Berlin, while law enforcement prepares to disperse the demo with force.
Thousands of people gathered in central Berlin on Saturday, venting their anger over coronavirus curbs. City authorities tried to ban the gathering but their decision was challenged and overturned in court. Still, the court said police could shut down the protest if its organizers fail to maintain proper social distancing in the crowd.
The rally has been marred by multiple scuffles between the protesters and police and several people have been detained, footage from the scene shows.
While law enforcement urged protesters to observe proper social distancing rules, the streets remained tightly packed. Ultimately, Berlin police announced its intent to disperse the crowd by force, insisting that this was the only option.
"Unfortunately, we have no other option," Berlin police said on Twitter. "We've approached the leader of the demonstration and informed him that his assembly will be dissolved by the police. All the measures taken so far have not led to compliance with the conditions."
Several water cannon trucks have been spotted in the area, though the vehicles have not yet moved. Law enforcement warned the protesters through loudspeakers of the imminent dispersal of the demo, urging them to leave the streets peacefully.
Comment: Not to be outdone, the German police will be showing up in full force apparently: And like a self-fulfilling prophecy there were, indeed, some clashes between police and protestors, ie. "The can protest, but we're sure going to make them pay for it!"