A demonstrator holds a sign reading compulsory vaccination is the red line during a protest against government measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Nuremberg, Germany, January 30, 2022. (Photo by Reuters)

Up to 4,000 people protested against the German government’s COVID restrictions at a rally in Nuremberg on Sunday, January 30, according to police, many of them without face masks.

The demonstration came four days after German lawmakers agonized over whether to impose compulsory COVID-19 shots as new record daily COVID-19 infections and the country’s stuttering vaccination campaign forced them into an ethical and constitutional dilemma.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz backs compulsory vaccines for over-18s, but his coalition government is divided on the issue and he has told lawmakers to vote according to conscience.

One of the placards seen in Nuremberg was addressed to Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, who is an epidemiologist, saying that he is worse than Corona while another said I’m not a guinea pig for the pharmaceuticals industry.

Public discontent over restrictions imposed to curb the pandemic, such as the exclusion of unvaccinated people from many indoor activities, has been exacerbated by the possibility of mandatory vaccines.

The highly contagious Omicron variant has sent new coronavirus cases in Germany soaring in recent weeks.

(Source: Reuters)