Prague, July 23, (dpa/GNA) – Protesters opposed to coronavirus vaccinations clashed with police outside the Slovakian parliament on Friday.
Officials used tear gas to prevent hundreds of demonstrators from storming the National Council in the capital, Bratislava.
One policewoman was injured, the TASR news agency reported, citing emergency services.
The protesters chanted slogans such as “vaccine fascism,” “Gestapo” and “We won’t give up.”
Protests were triggered by a draft law that is intended to make it easier for vaccinated people to shop in stores, for example, by using the digital EU vaccination certificate.
The government hopes that this will increase the willingness to be vaccinated. “We are taking these measures to protect the lives of all citizens – also to protect the demonstrators,” Prime Minister Eduard Heger said.
Of almost 5.5 million inhabitants in Slovakia, more than 1.9 million people have been fully vaccinated.
GNA