Far-right extremists try to enter German parliament

Berlin, August 30

Far-right extremists tried to storm the German parliament building Saturday following a protest against the country's pandemic restrictions, but were intercepted by police and forcibly removed.

The incident occurred after a daylong demonstration by tens of thousands of people opposed to the wearing of masks and other government measures intended to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.

The police ordered the protesters to disband halfway through their march around Berlin after participants refused to observe social distancing rules, but a rally near the capital's iconic Brandenburg Gate took place as planned.

Footage of the incident showed hundreds of people, some waving the flag of the German Reich of 1871-1918 and other far-right banners, running toward the Reichstag building and up the stairs.

Police confirmed on Twitter that several people had broken through a cordon in front of Parliament and “entered the staircase of the Reichstag building, but not the building itself.” “Stones and bottles were thrown at our colleagues,” police said. The police detained about 300 persons. — AP

Leaders condemn act

Berlin: Senior German officials on Sunday condemned attempts by far-right protesters and others to storm the parliament building. “Reich flags and right-wing extremist provocations in front of the German Bundestag are an unbearable attack on the heart of our democracy. We will never accept this,” President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said. AP