Protesters of pandemic policies hit streets in several German cities

People demonstrated in several German cities on Saturday in a show of opposition to policies to contain the pandemic, with more expected to turn out in the course of the day.

Some 1,600 people gathered in the northern city of Schwerin, police said, with 2,000 expected, according to the organizers. A banner at the head of the procession said "Parents and grandparents say !!!NO!!! to Covid-19 vaccinations for children!" Drums and trumpets accompanied the march.

Some 16,000 people attended a similar rally in Hamburg, according to police.

Dozens of people came by car and bike to a demonstration against health measures in Berlin. The protest went calmly, police said on Saturday afternoon. They counted more than 100 vehicles, 20 bikes and around 150 people overall, officers said.

Some 2,500 people held a form of counter demonstration in Minden in East Westphalia, opposing the "lateral thinkers," a group that has taken a lead role in organizing protests against the government's policies. The Lateral Thinking (Querdenken) movement includes coronavirus sceptics, far-right activists and anti-vaxxers.

One attendee held a poster that said, "Yes to freedom of opinion and togetherness - resolutely no to hatred, threats and violence."

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said the arguments made by vaccination opponents and Covid deniers had lost all measure and focus in comments to Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

"A small group is willing to wipe all scientific knowledge off the table and voluntarily enter a bubble of bogus truths," he said, calling this a new and frightening development in post-war German history.