WATCH anti-lockdown protesters clash with police in Berlin at rally banned by authorities

Riot police have been deployed in Berlin to forcefully disperse hundreds of protesters. Demonstrators have taken to the streets of the German capital denouncing the Covid-19 lockdown measures.

Coronavirus skeptics gathered and marched through the streets in central Berlin on Saturday. The rally has been banned by authorities, but despite that, hundreds took to the streets, as seen in footage from RT’s video agency Ruptly.

Many protesters were not wearing masks and not maintaining social distancing. Police have set up cordons and have been making loudspeaker announcements asking people to leave. The skeptics tried to break through cordons, and officers used pepper spray and had water cannons at the ready, Berliner Zeitung reported. Some of the protesters have been arrested, according to local media.

Ahead of the popular Whitsun or Pentecost holiday celebrated this weekend, Berlin, together with some other German federal states, has eased lockdown measures. For the first time in months, people could visit museums and swimming pools under certain conditions. Restaurants and bars have been allowed to open outdoor terraces, including the famous beer gardens.

However, authorities warned that the country should be moving toward pre-pandemic life at a slow pace. “We must not go too quickly or we’ll have to go back, and we want to avoid that,” Germany’s Health Minister Jens Spahn said.

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