Mayhem on streets of Berlin: Anti-lockdown protests turn into violent scuffles with police in Germany, 600 arrested (VIDEOS)

Berlin witnessed chaotic scenes and violent brawls on Sunday as riot police sought to forcefully disperse anti-lockdown rallies that had been banned by authorities, after thousands took to the streets of the German capital. Read Full Article at RT.com

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Aug 2, 2021 - 01:01
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Mayhem on streets of Berlin: Anti-lockdown protests turn into violent scuffles with police in Germany, 600 arrested (VIDEOS)

Berlin witnessed chaotic scenes and violent brawls on Sunday as riot police sought to forcefully disperse anti-lockdown rallies that had been banned by authorities, after thousands took to the streets of the German capital.

Coronavirus skeptics once again gathered in the center of the German capital despite the fact that the German authorities had banned as many as 16 protests by opponents of Covid-19 restrictions.

Some 5,000 people on Sunday joined several "spontaneous" demonstrations in various parts of the city, according to police estimates. Earlier, the organizers of just one such demonstration, which was eventually banned, said that it might be attended by as many as 22,000 people.

The rally participants were beating drums and chanting slogans such as "Peace, freedom, no dictatorship!" and "We demand the unrestricted restoration of the right to demonstrate."

In many cases, the unauthorized processions quickly descended into violence as police in full riot gear attempted to block the crowds from marching along the city streets. Some 600 people have been arrested, according to a police spokesman citing preliminary data.

"The strategy is to wake up. The sleepers need to wake up. We are losing our freedom. We just run," one protester told the German Die Welt daily. Most participants were not wearing face masks and were ignoring the social-distancing rules that are still in place in Germany.

The marching crowds broke through the chains of police on several occasions, prompting a heavy-handed response, as officers were seen brutally grabbing some protesters and throwing them to the ground. On several occasions, the officers ran to chase people through the streets.

Videos published by RT's video agency Ruptly as well as footage that has surfaced on social media showed police officers sometimes engaging in brutal fist fights with demonstrators, as well as punching them in the gut and kicking them. On one such occasion, the officers clashed with a group of elderly women.

Another video allegedly showed a police officer hitting a teenage boy in the face as he was lying on the ground.

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