Thousands of people protested in Stuttgart on Saturday against virus restrictions amid a heated debate throughout Germany on tightening the measures in the face of a third wave of Covid-19. The protesters, few of whom were wearing face masks, marched from the city centre to a main square in northeastern Stuttgart. Police in the southwest city said the marchers ignored requests to don masks and to adhere to social distance rules, though there were no reports of major incidents. The movement opposing social restrictions, known as “Querdenken (Anticonformist)”, has held regular protests in Germany since the start of the pandemic.
It brings together members of the extreme left and far right alongside conspiracy theorists and anti-vaccination groups. On March 20, 15,000-20,000 assembled in the city of Kassel, leading to clashes with police and many arrests.
In Stuttgart, the marchers on Saturday held banners with the slogan “End the dictatorship of Covid”.
“The measures are over…