Opponents of government restrictions to combat the corona virus took to the streets in several European cities at the weekend. Nowhere else did so many people take to the streets as in Vienna, where over 40,000 opponents of the corona measures were counted again on Saturday. Thousands of people demonstrated in Brussels on Sunday, and many people in the Netherlands and Italy took to the streets on Saturday. A Christmas market was stormed in Luxembourg.
During the demonstration in Brussels, the police had to use water cannons and tear gas against protesters. A group of young people had previously attacked security forces with projectiles and fireworks, reports the Belga news agency. According to an initial estimate by the police, around 8,000 people took part in the march through Brussels on Sunday. In the afternoon, the forces called on Twitter to break up the demonstration and announced the arrest of the troublemakers.
On Belga one could see how police with barbed wire barriers and riot gear accompanied the demo events. Around two weeks ago, a similar protest with around 35,000 participants led to serious riots and street battles. The demonstrators held slogans such as “Stop Vax” (for example: stop vaccinations) and “Vrijheid” (freedom) in the air on cardboard boxes. A large banner showed a yellow star that read “Sans Vaccin” (roughly: Unvaccinated).
In neighboring Luxembourg, demonstrators stormed a winter market after rallies against the corona policy on Saturday. The police said they had disregarded the access rules for the market and pushed away barriers. There were “slight excesses”. The Christmas market was closed. Because the demonstrators also headed for the Chamber of Deputies, the entrances there were blocked by police officers. 2,000 people took part in the previous demonstrations.
In the Dutch city of Utrecht, around 5000 people marched through the streets on Saturday. In contrast to earlier protests in the neighboring country, which turned into violence, this time the march was peaceful. There were also rallies again in Italy. The police said the number of participants ranged from a few dozen as in Rome to several thousand in Turin and Bologna. Here, too, many did not adhere to the mask requirement. There were initially no reports of riots.