It was "Bas les masques" this Saturday in several major European cities. In Paris, London and especially Berlin, anti-mask demonstrations brought together 200, 1,000 and 18,000 people respectively.
Paris: modest gathering, express fines
From 200 to 300 people gathered in peace in the 11th arrondissement of the capital, where the wearing of masks has been compulsory since Friday, with cries of “freedom, freedom! »And with the support of a few yellow vests.
Gathered from 1 pm Place de la Nation, they notably accused the government of "manipulating people through fear" and of imposing the mask in several large cities "without any scientific justification".
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The demonstrators were quickly surrounded by dozens of police, some of whom issued tickets of 135 euros for not wearing the mask. Around 3:30 p.m., 73 people had been fined, according to the prefecture. It was one of the first mobilizations of anti-mask activists in France.
London: record participation
In the United Kingdom, where the virus has killed nearly 40,000 people, several thousand disgruntled people gathered in London on Trafalgar-Square, several media citing record attendance.
According to The Guardian, protesters called the coronavirus a "hoax", demanding an end to the restriction measures. "Masks are muzzles," accused some of their banners, while others rejected any vaccine obligation.
Berlin: police put an end to the party
The Berlin police interrupted the Berlin demonstration for lack of respect for barrier gestures by the 18,000 participants gathered. Barely started, the procession, which left around 11 a.m. from the emblematic Brandenburg Gate, had to stop at the order of the police.
Entitled “Freedom and Peace Festival”, the event, which brings together “free thinkers”, anti-vaccine activists, conspiracy activists and far-right supporters, is the second of its kind in a month and worries the authorities.
