Anti-lockdown protests heated up in several spots across Europe.<\/b>
\nTens of thousands of protesters, many from far-right groups, marched through Vienna on Saturday after the Austrian government announced a nationwide lockdown beginning Monday to contain skyrocketing coronavirus infections. Demonstrations against virus restrictions also took place in Switzerland, Croatia, Italy, Northern Ireland and the Netherlands on Saturday, a day after Dutch police opened fire on protesters and seven people were injured in rioting that erupted in Rotterdam. Protesters rallied against coronavirus restrictions and mandatory COVID-19 passes needed in many European countries to enter restaurants, Christmas markets or sports events, as well as mandatory vaccinations. The Austrian lockdown will start Monday and comes as average daily deaths have tripled in recent weeks and hospitals in heavily hit states have warned that their intensive care units are reaching capacity. The lockdown will last at least 10 days but could go up to 20, officials said. People will be able to leave their homes only for specific reasons, including buying groceries, going to the doctor or exercising. The government also will make vaccinations mandatory starting Feb.1. Not quite 66% of Austria\u2019s 8.9 million people are fully vaccinated, and inoculations have plateaued at one of the lowest rates in Western Europe. Saturday\u2019s march started off at Vienna\u2019s massive Heldenplatz square. Chanting \u201cResistance!\u201d and blowing whistles, protesters moved down the city\u2019s inner ring road. Many waved Austrian flags and carried signs mocking Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg and Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein. Some wore doctor\u2019s scrubs; others donned tinfoil hats. Most signs focused on the vaccine mandate: \u201cMy Body, My Choice,\u201d read one. \u201cWe\u2019re Standing Up for Our Kids!\u201d said another. Among those protesting were members of far-right and extreme-right parties and groups, including the far-right Freedom Party, the anti-vaccine MFG party and the extreme-right Identitarians. About 1,300 police officers were on duty, and 35,000 protesters participated in different marches across the city, police said, adding that most didn\u2019t wear masks. Police said several protesters were detained, but didn\u2019t give specific numbers. Freedom Party leader Herbert Kickl, who tested positive for COVID-19 this week and had to stay in isolation, appeared via video, denouncing what he called \u201ctotalitarian\u201d measures from a government \u201cthat believes it should think and decide for us.\u201d Schallenberg apologized to all vaccinated people on Friday, saying it wasn\u2019t fair they had to suffer under the renewed lockdown restrictions. \u201cI\u2019m sorry to take this drastic step,\u201d he said on public broadcaster ORF. In neighboring Switzerland,2,000 people protested an upcoming referendum on whether to approve the government\u2019s COVID-19 restrictions law, claiming it was discriminatory, public broadcaster SRF reported. A day after the Rotterdam rioting, thousands gathered on Amsterdam\u2019s central Dam Square, despite organizers calling off the protest. They walked peacefully through the city\u2019s streets, closely monitored by police. A few hundred people also marched through the southern Dutch city of Breda to protest lockdown restrictions. One organizer, Joost Eras, told Dutch broadcaster NOS he didn\u2019t expect violence after consulting with police about security measures. \u201cWe certainly don\u2019t support what happened in Rotterdam. We were shocked by it,\u201d he told NOS. In Italy,3,000 turned out in the capital\u2019s Circus Maximus, a field where in ancient times Romans staged popular entertainment, to protest against \u201cGreen Pass\u201d certificates required at workplaces, restaurants, cinemas, theaters, sports venues and gyms, as well as for long-distance train, bus or ferry travel within Italy. \u201cPeople like us never give up,\u201d read one banner, in the red, white and green colors of the Italian flag. Virtually no one at the Rome protest wore a protective mask. In Northern Ireland, several hundred people opposed to vaccine passports protested outside the city hall in Belfast, where the city\u2019s Christmas market opened Saturday — a market where proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test was required. The Northern Ireland government voted this week to introduce vaccine certificates for admission to nightclubs, bars and restaurants starting Dec.13. Some protesters carried signs that have been widely criticized as offensive, comparing coronavirus restrictions to the actions of Nazi Germany. In Croatia, thousands gathered at in the capital Zagreb, carrying Croatian flags, nationalist and religious symbols, along with banners against vaccination and what they describe as restrictions of people\u2019s freedoms. In France, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin condemned violent protests in the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, one of France\u2019s overseas territories. Darmanin said 29 people had been detained by police overnight. Authorities were sending 200 more police officers to the island and on Tuesday will impose a nightly curfew from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. Protesters in Guadeloupe have staged road blockades and set cars on fire. They denounce France\u2019s COVID-19 health pass that is required to access restaurants and cafes, cultural venues, sport arenas and long-distance travel. They are also protesting France\u2019s mandatory vaccinations for health care workers.<\/p>\n