/picture alliance, AP, Nelson Antoine
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Berlin – Again tens of thousands of people demonstrated against stricter corona rules in several countries around the world. There were protests in Italy, Australia and Greece, for example. In Brazil, on the other hand, people took to the streets for more measures against SARS-CoV-2.
In Italy the day before yesterday, thousands of people demonstrated against the introduction of a mandatory health pass for access to the interior of bars, restaurants and leisure facilities.
The demonstrators chanted “Freedom” and “Down with the dictatorship”, waving Italian flags and the majority wearing no masks. Protests took place in Rome, Naples, Turin and Milan, among others. In Genoa, demonstrators wore yellow Jewish stars that read “unvaccinated”.
Known as the ‘green passport’, the document is issued in Italy to people who have received their first dose of corona vaccine, have recovered from COVID-19, or have tested negative in the 48 hours prior. Since the announcement of the measure last Thursday, bookings of vaccination appointments in some smaller regions have increased by 200 percent, according to the authorities.
The day before yesterday, thousands of people took part in protest marches in Australia. Dozens of demonstrators were arrested in Sydney for participating in an unauthorized demonstration against the lockdown measures and throwing bottles and other items at police officers.
In Melbourne, too, thousands of people took to the streets despite a corona-related assembly and travel ban, most of them without a mask. Only eleven percent of Australians have so far been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
The day before yesterday around 5,000 anti-vaccination opponents demonstrated in the Greek capital of Athens with slogans such as “Hands off our children”.
In Brazil, however, thousands of people took to the streets against the government of the right-wing head of state Jair Bolsonaro. At demonstrations across the country, they demanded impeachment proceedings against Bolsonaro, more vaccinations against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and economic aid in the pandemic, such as the news portal G1 reported.
Protests broke out in at least 27 provincial capitals, including Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Recife and Salvador, as well as in the capital Brasília. After protests in January, May, June and early July, this was the fifth time that people across the country took to the streets against Bolsonaro.
Trade unions and left-wing groups had called for the demonstrations. Banners read: “Bolsonaro – corrupt genocide. Impeachment now ”and“ We want vaccinations, he bribes. Away with Bolsonaro ”. For the most part, the demonstrations remained peaceful. In São Paulo, however, there was a fringe riot and demonstrators smashed the windows of shops.
Approval for Bolsonaro’s administration is falling more and more. At the beginning of the month, 51 percent of those polled rejected the president’s policy in a survey by the polling institute Datafolha. That was the worst result since Bolsonaro took office in 2019.
The government of President Bolsonaro downplayed the pandemic from the beginning and braced itself against tough exit restrictions with reference to the economic consequences. Most recently, Bolsonaro also questioned the point of vaccination. Meanwhile, a parliamentary committee of inquiry is examining Bolsonaro’s crisis management in the pandemic.
Brazil is one of the countries hardest hit by the corona pandemic. So far, almost 20 million people have contracted the virus. Every day, an average of around 50,000 new infections are added. Almost 550,000 patients have died in connection with COVID-19 – there are more deaths in absolute numbers only in the USA.
In Brazil, more than 130 million doses have been administered since the nationwide vaccination campaign began in January. About 40 percent of adult Brazilians have received a single dose, and around 17 percent are fully vaccinated. In view of the lack of vaccination doses, however, the Brazilian metropolis of Rio de Janeiro and other important cities recently again suspended their first vaccinations against the corona virus.
The protesters’ criticism last Saturday, however, extended beyond the corona crisis management. Among other things, the protests were directed against the privatization of public services. People also demanded more efforts to fight hunger and environmental degradation, as well as respect for the rights of indigenous peoples. © afp / aerzteblatt.de
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