Thousands of people attended demonstrations in several German cities on Saturday, protesting lockdown policies and accusing the government of spreading panic, Deutsche Welle (DW) reports.
Protesters gathered in Munich, Stuttgart, Berlin, and other cities, many flouting guidelines for public gatherings and social distancing. In Munich, police decided not to disperse the main protest by force as there were no reports of violence, but a smaller right-wing demonstration was dispersed. Similar discretion was noted in other parts of the country.
Although around 70% of Germans polled in a recent survey support social distancing regulations, this represents a sharp drop from two months ago, when over 90% were in support, DW writes. This is despite the fact that Germany is already easing lockdown restrictions in many areas - and despite the fact that this easing has been accompanied by a rise in the rate of infection to above the key R=1 (where one person does not infect more than one other).