On Sunday afternoon, approximately 100 people gathered around Zelný Trh in Brno to protest against the government’s anti-epidemic measures. One demonstrator was fined, and two were arrested. The demonstration was called off after 20 minutes, while the march continued around the city for another hour and a half. Photo Credit: KB / BD.
Brno, March 15 (BD) – On Sunday afternoon, approximately 100 people gathered around Zelný Trh in Brno, mainly in response to Manifest.cz’s call for a demonstration against the current anti-epidemic measures imposed by the government. The police dispersed the crowd 20 minutes after the demonstration started, and the protesters marched through the center of Brno for approximately another hour and a half, accompanied by police cars. Brno Police were informed in advance about the planned demonstration and blocked all the access roads into Zelný Trh, asking for proof of identification from those wishing to enter the square.
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”313″ gal_title=”Anti-Lockdown Protest In Brno”]Photo: Anti-lockdown protest in Brno on March 14. Photo credit: KB / BD.
According to reports, the majority of demonstrators were not wearing face masks or respirators. The secretary of Brno-střed district, Petr Štika, asked demonstrators to follow the current regulations. The demonstration was officially terminated after one of the protesters encouraged others not to wear masks or follow the regulations. The march, which began at Zelný Trh, continued from Moravské to Malinovského náměstí and onto Kobližná, where the small crowd remaining was encircled by several police vans and officers from the anti-conflict team. A number of people were seen shouting at the demonstrators from the windows of a building on Kozí, including a man wearing a horse mask.
Organizer David Tesař attempted to continue his speech at points during the march, but the police intervened with a loudspeaker reminding him that the demonstration had been officially terminated. “Most people there were those who just wanted to walk through Zelný Trh. Others were not allowed into the area because they came from other districts, and thus violated the current regulations,” said police spokesman Pavel Šváb, as reported by Ceske Noviny. “On Kobližná, we asked for proof of identification from those who did not have the required respiratory protection. One protester paid an on-the-spot fine. Two people were arrested,” added Šváb, as confirmed by the Czech Police on Twitter.
Jihomoravští policisté budou dohlížet na průběh oznámeného shromáždění na Zelném trhu a následného pochodu městem. Kontrolovat budeme dodržování veřejného pořádku a platných vládních nařízení. Na místě budou i policisté z antikonfliktního týmu. #policiejmk
— Policie ČR (@PolicieCZ) March 14, 2021
One demonstrator explained her reasons for taking part in the protest: “My neighbor and I came to express our opinion because we do not agree with what is going on here. It should be handled completely differently. I have four children, two of them are distance-learning. My parents had a birthday, we couldn’t even visit them because they live in another district. Another Easter will be ruined,” said Jarmila Adamcová from Brno, who came to the demonstration with all her children.
As the demonstrators approached the offices of the South Moravian Region, Governor Jan Grolich placed a bag of respirators on the door for free distribution. The governor wrote on Facebook that he had left a ‘‘present’’ for them.
