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  6.  » Thousands of anti-lockdown protesters clash with police in Rome and Leipzig
  • German police said demonstrators attacked them after being told to disperse
  • A crowd of 20,000 gathered to protest against new coronavirus restrictions
  • Protesters in Rome were also seen gathering on Saturday against measures 
  • Both Italy and Germany recorded record numbers of virus cases in last 24-hours 

Chris Jewers – Daily Mail Nov 7, 2020

Leipzig anti-lockdown protest. Click to enlarge

Thousands of anti-lockdown protesters have clashed with police in Rome and Leipzig as anger continues to grow over coronavirus restrictions.

German police said demonstrators attacked them in Leipzig on Saturday, after the crowd was told to disperse.

‘There were numerous attacks against security forces,’ police tweeted while media broadcast images of projectiles and fireworks thrown at police who had established a security cordon near the city’s main train station.

Italy and Germany have both introduced new measures in an attempt to fight the second wave of Covid-19 that is gripping Europe.

Both countries reported their second highest ever number of new daily coronavirus cases today – for the second day running – although more tests are being done than during the first wave in the spring.

Huge crowds took to the streets in Leipzig to protest against coronavirus restrictions after Germany entered a four-week partial lockdown on Monday.

Demonstrators clashed with police as they threw firecrackers amid claims from a local journalist that police had lost control of the protest.

The crowd in the eastern German city was estimated to number around 20,000 and German media reported that some of those who clashed with police were members of far-right groups.

Some of the protesters also attacked journalists and people taking part in a counter-demonstration in Leipzig, a large student city.

The police were out in force and made several arrests but the clashes continued into the evening.

But ignoring the dispersal orders, hundreds of people marched up one of Leipzig’s main streets shouting ‘Merkel must go!’ and ‘peace, freedom, no dictatorship’, according to the German news agency DPA.

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