- Title: Thousands protest in Prague against mandatory COVID-19 vaccination
- Date: 12th December 2021
- Summary: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (DECEMBER 12, 2021) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS ON WENCESLAS SQUARE SPEAKER ON STAGE MAN SHOUTING (Czech): "BRAVO" PEOPLE SHOUTING (Czech): "SHAME" ORGANIZERS ON STAGE PEOPLE SHOUTING (Czech) "FREEDOM, FREEDOM" SIGN READING (Czech): "PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN" SPEAKER ON STAGE FIREMEN SHOUTING (Czech): "THANK YOU†PEOPLE WHISTLING AS POLICE SPEAKER IS HEARD ASKING PEOPLE TO KEEP SOCIAL DISTANCE (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) PROTEST ORGANIZER, JAKUB OLBERT, SAYING: "Today’s march is focused on mandatory vaccination for people over 60 and public servants. This is another step towards the limitation of freedom, another slice of salami added by the Babis government. We are strongly against mandatory vaccination with an experimental vaccine, and also because half of the people in hospitals (with COVID-19) are fully vaccinated." VARIOUS OF PROTEST SIGN READING (Czech): “STOP MANDATORY VACCINATION†PEOPLE SHOUTING (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) PROTESTER, IVANA SELINGROVA, SAYING: "I am here to protest against mandatory vaccination. I don’t like when someone forces me to do something I don’t want. Everyone who wants to be vaccinated should do it consciously, but it shouldn’t be mandatory." BANNER READING: "COVID 1984" (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) PROTESTER, HENRY TIETZE, SAYING: "This vaccination is bad, organised on purpose by people who want to have total control of our lives. The vaccine is bad, it's killing and I refuse it." VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING PROTESTERS MARCHING, PLAYING DRUMS MAN CARRYING CHILD ON SHOULDERS, CHILD HOLDING CZECH FLAG PEOPLE MARCHING WITH BANNERS, SHOUTING SLOGANS PEOPLE MARCHING, HOLDING BANNER READING (Czech): "Stop discrimination" PROTESTERS MARCHING, MAN CARRYING LARGE BARRED EUROPEAN FLAG POLICE WATCHING, MAN TALKING WITH POLICE OFFICER PROTESTERS MARCHING, CARRYING CZECH FLAGS PEOPLE MARCHING
- Embargoed: 26th December 2021 16:24
- Keywords: Czech Republic Prague anti-vaxxers coronavirus pandemic in Czech Republic vaccination in Czech Republic
- Location: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
- City: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
- Country: Czech Republic
- Topics: Europe,Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA001F7QG94P
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Thousands protested in Prague on Sunday (December 12) against mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for people aged 60 and over and civil servants.
The government announced on December 6 it will order COVID-19 vaccinations for police officers, soldiers, and some other professions from March 2022.
Answering calls from anti-vaccine movements, political parties, and civic organisations, demonstrators gathered in Wenceslas Square holding signs and shouting slogans denouncing the mandatory vaccination ruling.
Protest organiser Jakub Olbert, who attended the event, says mandatory vaccination makes no sense, since "half of the people in hospitals (with COVID-19) are fully vaccinated."
The country of 10.7 million lags the European Union average in COVID-19 vaccinations and is going through another wave of infections that has forced hospitals to cut non-urgent care and call for help from the army and volunteers.
Neighbouring Austria has mandated vaccinations for all citizens, and some other countries including Germany have been debating vaccination mandates.
An opinion poll by the STEM agency released last week showed 19% of the population remained opposed to getting the shots.
The Czech Republic has reported 34,377 coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic, one of the worst rates per capita globally.
(Production Jiri Skacel, Hedy Beloucif) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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