To the cries of " Freedom! Hundreds of people gathered in Madrid on Sunday to protest against the compulsory wearing of masks and other restrictions imposed to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
To read also: Conspiracy, distrust ... The French anti-masks refuse "the muzzle"
The crowd, mobilized by social networks, gathered under the giant Spanish flag that decorates Colon Square, in the center of the capital. The demonstrators carried placards which proclaimed among other things " The virus does not exist ", " The mask kills " or " We are not afraid ".
Pilar Martin, a 58-year-old housewife from Zaragoza (northeast) said she came to protest in Madrid because she believed governments around the world were exaggerating the numbers of those infected in order to restrict public freedoms. “ They force us to wear masks, they want to confine us. These are all lies, ”she told AFP.
Many protesters did not wear masks, although this is mandatory in public in Spain. The wearing of a mask was first imposed in early May in public transport and then was expanded in a country where the death toll is approaching 29,000.
The protest comes two days after the government announced new restrictions, including closing nightclubs and banning smoking where it is impossible to stand within two meters of each other.