Germany’s Berlin Sees People Get Angry Over Lockdown With Dozens of Arrests

GERMANY’S capital of Berlin has seen people get angry over lockdown rules, with dozens of arrests happening following a series of demonstrations.

The protests happened this Saturday (May 23) with around 60 people being detained, as they showed their displeasure against Germany’s restrictions on movement and socialisation as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The protesters had violated official guidelines to keep the virus contained, and some had attacked police officials, a German newspaper said, quoting a police source.

Two police officers were said to have been slightly injured.

People took to the streets to vent their anger over policies that Chancellor Angela Merkel insists says are needed to slow down the coronavirus outbreak.

It was the third successive weekend of demonstrations in Berlin, with numbers of the discontented growing each time.

The number of confirmed cases in Germany rose by 638 to 177,850, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed today.

The reported death toll rose by 42 to 8,216, figures said.

Earlier in the day, Merkel, backed her package, including social distancing rules, adding she was aware of the concerns some had about how they interfered with their human rights.

“Yes, I can understand these concerns,” Merkel said. “This virus is an imposition for our democracy.”

She still said that lockdown restrictions had been necessary to make sure Germany’s health system does not get overstretched, adding this has been achieved so far.