Police stopped the march of 18,000 people against the COV restriction, as many participants did not adhere to social exclusion measures.

The large-scale protest against the restrictive measures to prevent Covid-19 took place in Berlin today, following a fierce legal battle between the protest organizers and the German capital government.

The protesters were scheduled to arrive at the Brandenburger Gate at 9am on August 29 (16:30 Hanoi time), but the police ordered a stop.

"Most of the protesters did not respect the requirement to keep a minimum distance, despite the repeated request," the Berlin police said in a statement.

After the Berlin police announcement, the protesters chanted slogans commonly used by the far-right German faction and sang the national anthem.

Berlin Police Chief Barbara Slowik warned that if protesters do not follow safety rules that prevent nCoV, the police will clear the area "very quickly."

Berlin officials previously ordered not to hold the demonstrations on August 29 because of concerns that about 22,000 people might participate and not keep a distance of 1.5 meters or comply with a request to wear a mask.

But at the last minute, the Berlin administrative court sided with the protesters, asserting there was no indication that protest organizers would "deliberately ignore" the distance-keeping rules and endanger the protesters.

Covid-19 outbreak in December 2019, appeared in 213 countries and territories with nearly 25 million cases, more than 842,000 deaths and more than 17.3 million people recovered.