⁍ Warsaw police detained 278 people on Saturday after thousands protested against new curbs aimed at containing the spread of the coronavirus.
⁍ Police said demonstrators attacked policemen, throwing stones, glass bottles and fire crackers.
⁍ New curbs imposed on Saturday include a two-week shutdown of restaurants and bars.
– Thousands of Polish protesters took to the streets in Warsaw yesterday, breaking a ban on gatherings of more than five people that was put in place as part of an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus, which has killed more than 4,400 people in the country and sickened more than 250,000, the AP reports. The protesters broke the ban by throwing rocks, breaking windows, and hurling Molotov cocktails at police, who responded with tear gas. “We were dealing with a clear manifestation of aggression, these people came to fight us,” a police spokesman tells Reuters, adding that 278 people were detained during the protests. The restrictions, which include a two-week shutdown of bars and a ban on public gatherings of more than five people, were introduced as the death toll from the virus rose to 87 yesterday, the AP reports. The president tested positive for the virus on Friday, a day after the head of the Polish Football Association, ’80s soccer star Zbigniew Boniek, tweeted that he was infected. The head of the Polish Football Association, 1980s soccer star Zbigniew Boniek, tweeted on Sunday that he was infected with COVID-19, a day after Polish President Andrzej Duda tested positive for the disease. Schools will remain open for children up to third grade, with older students moving to distance learning. Older people can leave their homes only in special cases. Despite the ban on gatherings, Poland also continued to see demonstrations on Saturday against a ruling on Thursday by the Constitutional Tribunal that imposes a near-total ban on abortion in the Catholic country.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-poland/warsaw-police-detain-278-after-saturdays-protests-against-coronavirus-restrictions-idUSKBN27A0B3