Berlin police arrest over 100 people during protest against COVID-19 restrictions

At least 100 people were arrested on Saturday during a rally against the coronavirus-related restrictions in Berlin, and most of them were detained during a clash between protesters and law enforcement officers near the Russian embassy, a spokeswoman for the police told Sputnik.

Berlin [Germany], Aug 30 (ANI/Sputnik): At least 100 people were arrested on Saturday during a rally against the coronavirus-related restrictions in Berlin, and most of them were detained during a clash between protesters and law enforcement officers near the Russian embassy, a spokeswoman for the police told Sputnik. The police did not issue a permit for the rally to go ahead due to safety violations and protesters not wearing face masks, but some demonstrators still marched in downtown Berlin. When the rally was passing near the Russian diplomatic mission, some protesters started throwing bottles at the police officers.

"We do yet have an exact number of arrests made today, but I can say that a large number of people were detained in the area of the Russian embassy because of attacks on the police. This is a three-digit number," the spokeswoman said, adding that there have been no serious incidents during the protest since then. Anti-coronavirus protests on Saturdays are organized by Stuttgart's Querdenken 711 initiative group that criticizes the government's response to the pandemic. (ANI/Sputnik)