German anti-lockdown demo met with counter-protest

German police used water cannons to disperse counter-demonstrators to a protest over coronavirus measures in Frankfurt on Saturday afternoon.

The left-wing group had gathered to try and stop anti-restriction demonstrators who were protesting partial lockdown measures imposed on the public by authorities in Hesse state.

The counter-demonstrators had blocked the route of the "Querdenken" protest, meaning lateral thinker, through the city centre several times.

Police moved in to clear the street, while also keeping the two groups separate from each other.

During the anti-restrictions march and rally, some participants did not observe social distancing or wear face masks.

Germany’s disease control agency reported a further 22,461 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to Saturday, as well as 178 additional deaths.

Since the start of the pandemic, Germany has recorded 773,556 confirmed cases and 12,378 deaths.