Protesters gather as German MPs to seal pandemic powers in law

DPA,  18TH NOVEMBER, 2020- The German government’s power to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by decree is expected to be anchored in law on Wednesday, in a fast-track move that has prompted protests in the capital Berlin.

The planned legislative amendments have been slammed by radical opponents of coronavirus measures as anti-democratic.

Rallies have been banned from taking place outside the parliament buildings and in the surrounding government district.

However, several hundred demonstrators had already gathered on the edges of the cordoned-off grounds of the Reichstag parliament building by early Tuesday.

Up to 2,200 police officers have been deployed to shield the area and ensure that demonstrators stick to social-distancing and mask rules.

By around 11 am (1000 GMT), police said on Twitter that over 30 charges were being brought against people for allegedly refusing to wear a mask or for providing a medical certificate that was thought to be fake.