Thousands of people have demonstrated in German cities against the restrictions on public life put in place to fight the coronavirus outbreak.
One of the biggest protests was in the southwestern city of Stuttgart, with smaller rallies held in Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt.
In Stuttgart, several thousand people marched through the Cannstatter Wasen, a large festival area on the banks of the Neckar river.
A Stuttgart police spokesperson said that the march had become quite crowded but that protective measures had largely been observed by participants.
Authorities are combatting new outbreaks in Germany as thousands protest against restrictions. Source: EPA
The police did not provide an estimate of the number of people in attendance. Authorities had set the maximum number at 10,000.
In Berlin on Saturday, police detained about 30 people for non-compliance with social distancing and hygiene rules in front of the Reichstag parliament building.
Despite announcements over loudspeakers, the minimum distance had not always been maintained, police in the German capital said.
A few kilometres away, several hundred people gathered at Alexanderplatz, a normally busy transport hub, for a previously unannounced gathering.
Currently only meetings with up to 50 participants are allowed at any fixed location in Berlin. At one point, police in riot gear used pepper spray on the protesters to break up the crowd.
Elsewhere, on Munich's Marienplatz central plaza, about 3000 people demonstrated against the pandemic regulations.
The demonstration had been registered, but only for 80 participants, a police spokesperson said. For "reasons of proportionality," the demonstration was allowed to continue, the spokesperson said, adding everyone had behaved peacefully.
More than 500 demonstrators protested in Germany's financial hub, Frankfurt. They marched through the city centre with banners and shouted "Join in" and "Resist".
According to the police, this was an unannounced rally and, in some instances the minimum distance of 1.5 metres had not been followed. The police did not break up the demonstration, however.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others.
Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits. Testing for coronavirus is now widely available across Australia.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
The federal government's coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe is available for download from your phone's app store. SBS is committed to informing Australia’s diverse communities about the latest COVID-19 developments.
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