Demonstrators turned out in the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague en mass to protest the government’s Covid policies
Thousands of people took part in a protest against Covid-19 restrictions in Prague, the Czech Republic on Sunday, claiming that the current restrictions are a “road to hell.”
The demonstrators protested against the government’s Covid-19 policies, which include a ban on the unvaccinated from eating in restaurants, in Prague’s Wenceslas Square.
“The state should listen to the people’s demands. The arrangements and restrictions lead us on the road to hell,” shouted one protester, according to Reuters, while others waved Czech flags and chanted.
Prague Czech Republic 🇨🇿 Anti Covid BS, Anti Everything 🔥 Long Live The People 👊 pic.twitter.com/7D2GQuVetD
— 𝙍𝙄𝙎𝙀𝙈𝙀𝙇𝘽𝙊𝙐𝙍𝙉𝙀 (@Risemelbourne) January 30, 2022
A similar protest against Covid-19 restrictions in October 2020 led to clashes with law enforcement after police fired water cannons at protesters and deployed tear gas. Demonstrators at the time were protesting against mask mandates, social distancing policies, and caps on social gatherings.
Diners at restaurants in the Czech Republic are currently required to show proof of vaccination or a recent Covid-19 infection. The same rules apply for accommodation, night clubs, and cultural venues such as museums in the country.
Since a new center-right government took office mid-December, the Chezh authorities gave up on the idea to introduce vaccine mandates for healthcare workers, police, soldiers as well as for seniors over 60. The new government of PM Petr Fiala argued that compulsory vaccinations would only stir divisions in the society. He, nevertheless, stated that vaccination was the “best way” to fight the pandemic.
This month, Czech Health Minister Vlastimil Válek said the idea of mandatory vaccination was “nonsense from the start.”