Thousands protest in SW Germany against COVID-19 curbs

Thousands of people protested in southwest Germany's Stuttgart on Saturday against coronavirus restrictions amid a looming third wave of COVID-19.

According to the police, more than 10,000 peopletook to the streets in Stuttgart,ignoring requests to wear masks and adhere to social distancing rules.

The police said it was investigating an incident in which a journalist was allegedly beaten by a protester.

The protests against restrictions are happening every weekend against the backdrop of a heated debate in Germany over ratcheting up the COVID-19 restrictions amid mounting cases of infection.

Chancellor Angela Merkel appealed to Germans on Thursday to stay at home over Easter and meet fewer people to help curb a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, as the capital Berlin announced a nighttime ban on gatherings from Friday.

(Cover: Demonstrators attend a protest against the government's COVID-19 restrictions in Stuttgart, Germany, April 3, 2021. /Reuters)