The epidemic situation in many countries has deteriorated and re-blocked, and people’s protests and demonstrations have been frequent. The epidemic situation and riots have made Europe ＂out of control

[Global Times reporter Aoki Tao short room Chen Kang] Broken police cars, burning roadblocks … In recent days, a wave of protests against the new round of anti-epidemic blockade measures has swept across many European countries, and demonstrators have opposed the "tyranny" of anti-epidemic blockade under the banner of "freedom". At the same time, multinational police used water cannons, tear gas to deal with protesters, and even shot them directly. Dutch Prime Minister Ruyt denounced this as "a pure act of violence under the guise of demonstrations". This also embarrassed the western media, which had been accusing China’s anti-epidemic measures of "obstructing freedom". At present, the epidemic situation in Europe is deteriorating rapidly, and governments around the world are in a dilemma between strengthening anti-epidemic measures and people’s violent protests. German news TV station said on the 23rd that European countries canceled epidemic prevention measures prematurely, and the differences and repetitions in epidemic prevention objectives and measures within the government made people feel confused and dissatisfied. This has not only dealt a serious blow to European economic recovery, but also laid a big risk for social chaos.

"Europe is in a double crisis"

"The risk of losing control", DPA said on the 23rd that Europe is in a double crisis: on the one hand, the epidemic situation in European countries is in a hurry, on the other hand, large-scale protests have taken place in many countries, leading to riots. The Netherlands, enschede, Groningen, The Hague and Rotterdam, which were the first cities to tighten epidemic prevention measures in Europe, held demonstrations against the government’s epidemic prevention policy for three consecutive nights, which later turned into violent riots. Protesters without masks shouted the slogan of "freedom", threw stones at the police and set fire to cars. Commercial facilities along the street were also damaged.

In other European countries, violent demonstrations began to spread. In Brussels, Belgium, where the EU headquarters is located, about 35,000 people took to the streets to protest against the latest epidemic prevention measures of the government. Demonstrators sang songs about Italian guerrillas fighting against dictator Mussolini during World War II, and people also fired lit fireworks at the police. Protesters in France not only set fire, but also took advantage of the chaos to rob shops on the street. In Slovakia, protesters claimed to launch a new "velvet revolution". Many countries also mobilized a large number of police, using water cannons, tear gas and other measures to disperse the protesters. Violent riots broke out in Guadeloupe, a French overseas province, for four consecutive days to protest against the government’s compulsory vaccination. The French Ministry of the Interior dispatched 50 special forces soldiers to help quell the riots.

Austria re-closed the city nationwide on the 22nd, and no one was allowed to go out except for going to work and purchasing daily necessities. Previously, Austria was the first country in Europe to completely "ban" those who did not vaccinate. In response, at the call of the Austrian far-right Liberal Party, the largest demonstration broke out in Vienna last weekend, and 38,000 people took to the streets to protest against the Austrian government’s "COVID-19 dictatorship".

In the face of the demonstrations in most parts of Europe in the past few days to protest against the strict epidemic blockade measures, many governments have gradually lost patience. According to reports from Reuters, Dutch Prime Minister Ruyt called the demonstrators "idiots" on the 22nd. He called it "a pure act of violence under the guise of demonstrations". "I know there is a lot of tension in society, because we have been dealing with the pain caused by the COVID-19 epidemic for a long time. But I will never accept the violence created by idiots just because they are unhappy. " He stressed that the demonstrators created "pure violence against our police, firefighters and ambulance drivers". According to the report, more than 100 people have been arrested in several days of violent demonstrations in the Netherlands, and Rotterdam police even used live ammunition to shoot protesters, resulting in four injuries. Dutch health authorities said on the 22nd that more than 23,000 new cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours, which is the second highest number of new infections in a single day since the outbreak. Due to the sharp increase in the number of people infected with COVID-19, the intensive care unit (ICU) in Dutch hospitals is insufficient. Kuipers, head of the Dutch Hospital Critical Care Association, said that from the 23rd, critically ill patients were transferred to neighboring Germany to reduce the pressure on domestic hospitals.

"A family was sent to the grave."

British Sky TV said on the 23rd that with the arrival of cold winter, experts worry that the number of infections and deaths in Europe will further increase, and the crowd gathering brought by Christmas and New Year holidays will also bring unimaginable pressure to the anti-epidemic work. The Guardian quoted experts from the World Health Organization as saying on 23rd that by March next year, the total number of COVID-19 deaths in Europe may exceed 2 million. At present, there are more than 4,200 new deaths in Europe every day, twice as many as in September.

The British "Flag Evening News" said that despite the soaring number of confirmed cases, politicians are still hesitant about whether all citizens should be vaccinated. Scholz, who is about to succeed Merkel as German Chancellor, said that there should be a wide-ranging debate on whether to force citizens to vaccinate. Kuban, chairman of the Youth League Party, said: "We have reached a critical point. We must clearly indicate the need for compulsory vaccination and ban those who have not been vaccinated." However, the Liberal Democratic Party opposes this measure, saying that we should attach importance to individual freedom.

"Should COVID-19 vaccine be compulsory in Germany?" "Deutsche Welle" said on the 23rd that at the beginning of the outbreak, German politicians thought that vaccination should not be compulsory, but now more and more politicians in Germany support compulsory vaccination. "We think it is necessary, otherwise we can’t get rid of this pandemic at all and have to continue to restrict people’s freedom," said the governor of Baden-Wü rttemberg. However, some politicians still expressed their opposition. As the health minister of the caretaker government, Span is still skeptical about compulsory vaccination. He said that the introduction of the universal obligation to vaccinate COVID-19 is not only a legal issue, but also related to the freedom of citizens. He also said that even if COVID-19’s vaccination obligation is implemented now, it can’t stop the current fourth wave of epidemic. In addition, once compulsory vaccination is implemented, those who do not vaccinate will be fined. "For those who have no money, let them go to prison?"

European media have always accused China’s anti-epidemic measures of "obstructing freedom". However, the worsening epidemic situation has made these media rarely mention the anti-epidemic blockade measures of "obstructing freedom". "Deutsche Welle" said that the European Court of Human Rights recently ruled that "compulsory vaccination not only does not violate human rights law, but may be a necessary measure in a democratic society". This is considered to enhance "the possibility of compulsory vaccination in the current epidemic".

In eastern Europe, where the vaccination rate is low, the epidemic situation is very critical. CNN reported on the 22nd that in Romania, which has the lowest vaccination rate in Europe, the capital Bucharest University Hospital is the largest medical institution in the country. The mortuary of the hospital could have parked 15 bodies, but 41 bodies were stored on the day of CNN interview. A large number of bodies were piled up in the corridor outside. The hospital is still expanding the intensive care unit, and all the beds here are full at present. A nurse named Ionita said: "When I started this job, I never thought that such a disaster would happen. In the end, we sent our family to the grave."

"Ignorance and self-destructive stubbornness"

Germany’s "Focus" magazine said on the 23rd that the re-introduction of epidemic prevention and blockade policies in many European countries led to escalating violent demonstrations. Countries are paying attention to these violent incidents, but few governments reflect on why. This makes governments face trust problems. The deterioration of the epidemic situation and the repeated anti-epidemic measures have aroused public suspicion and have also been used by right-wing parties. In the new wave of demonstrations, people shouted the slogan of "freedom", and the demonstrators even wore yellow stars with the words "unvaccinated", similar to the "Jewish star" sign that German Nazis forced Jews to wear. They compared the order of compulsory vaccination to Nazi atrocities in the past. Austrian Interior Minister Nehmer denounced the move as "an insult to millions of victims and their families under Nazi dictatorship".

CNN said that with the smooth promotion of vaccination in early 2021, European leaders were optimistic that the epidemic could be easily defeated, and they easily talked about economic restart in a nearly celebratory tone. However, with the resurgence of the epidemic, even in countries with high vaccination rates, the government has to start to consider resuming the ban. Facts have proved that even a relatively high vaccination rate is not enough to curb the spread of the epidemic alone, and "complacency is dangerous."

Washington post said, "Ignorance and self-destructive stubbornness are not unique to the United States. In Europe, many people continue to resist vaccines that can save themselves and others’ lives.". The article also warned that "the history of repeated epidemics proves that what happened in Europe today will happen in the United States tomorrow."