Protests against vaccine mandates and Covid measures continued in several nations even as cases due to the Omicron variant were reported. Some countries in the European Union, where Omicron is now the dominant strain causing infections, have imposed vaccine mandates in a bid to arrest the spread. Austria became the first nation to have a vaccine mandate. These moves however have met with protests and criticism from some quarters who claim that these mandates were hurting basic human rights.
50,000-strong protest march in Belgium
Thousands marched in Brussels to express their opposition towards Covid-19 rules on Sunday. Police in Brussels resorted to firing water cannons and tear gas shells to disperse at least 50,000 people who marched against Covid-19 regulations demanding their end.
Protests turned out of control when protesters hurled paving stones and firecrackers towards the police near the European Union headquarters. They were also pelted with metal barriers which forced the police officials to take shelter in a metro station. Police officials told news agency AFP that they have arrested more than 70 people for serious offences including throwing projectiles and damaging property.
Three police officials and 12 demonstrators were hospitalised following the clashes. “Our society will never accept indiscriminate violence, and even less towards our police forces. Those involved this Sunday will be prosecuted,” Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo said in a statement.
Kennedy Jr Leads Protest In Washington
Robert F. Kennedy Jr, nephew of former US president, led a protest against vaccine mandates in Washington. Kennedy, who is known for his anti-vaccine stance, compared vaccine passports to Nazi regime, according to reports from news agencies.
“Even in Hitler’s Germany, you could hide in the attic like Anne Frank did,” Kennedy Jr said. His remarks were condemned by the Auschwitz Memorial, who in a tweet said that the comments were symbolic of ‘moral and intellectual decay’.
Kennedy Jr was in the company of several other protesters who marched with placards condemning Biden and praising Trump. Some protesters speaking to the AFP clarified that they were ‘anti-this vaccine’ and not ‘anti-vaccine’ entirely citing that the development of the Pfizer and Moderna’s Covid vaccines were rushed.
Some offices and institutions in New York and Washington have imposed mandates for people attending work where they have asked them to get vaccinated or present an RT-PCR report (taken in the last 48-72 hours) where they have tested negative for Covid-19.
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