As Germans marked the new year last night, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s message was somewhat muted: ‘It’s clear to all of us: the pandemic is not over’, Scholz said in a televised address: ‘I appeal to all of you: let yourself be vaccinated.’ His message was aimed at the large number of Germans who are yet to be jabbed. Only 71.2 per cent of Germans are fully vaccinated, one of the lowest rates in western Europe.
As well as encouraging his countrymen to get vaccinated, Scholz and Germany’s other leaders face another problem: how to deal with protests following the introduction of new restrictions. Social gatherings across Germany have been limited to ten people since 28 December and there was no exception for New Year’s Eve. The usual crowds of people who gather at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate were nowhere to be seen. Nightclubs remain closed and entry to non-essential shops, restaurants and bars is restricted to fully vaccinated people
Perhaps understandably, many Germans are unhappy about the imposition of such measures: throughout December, Germany has seen a steep rise in gatherings which are banned under Covid legislation. Eighteen months into the pandemic, authorities are being outwitted by those determined to meet in German cities and towns.
One of the ways in which protesters have attempted to avoid having their events shut down by the police is to pretend that their marches are nothing more than casual ‘walks’ they take together. Parents have also brought young children along to prevent the police from using excessive force. But in many cases, things escalate anyway: this week in the Bavarian city of Schweinfurt, a four-year-old boy was pepper sprayed in his pushchair after he was taken to an anti-lockdown protest. Earlier this month, at a gathering in the Saxonian village of Pausa, one protester tried to pull a policewoman’s gun away from her.
The protests show no sign of quietening down as Germany braces itself for an Omicron wave. On
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