It was a woman with blonde dreadlocks who capped off one of the biggest anti-coronavirus demonstrations in Europe on Saturday, which saw tens of thousands of anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theorists and the far-right march through the German capital, Berlin.
Speaking on a stage by Germany’s parliament, the Reichstag, she egged the crowd on to occupy the building. “Trump is in Berlin,” the woman falsely said, according to a video posted of her speech on social media. “Go up there and sit peaceably on [the] stairs and show President Trump … that we want world peace and that we are sick of it.”
CNN has attempted to reach the woman, identified as Tamara K. in German media, for comment.
The gathering turned into a mob, which pushed past barricades and made its way towards the Reichstag’s steps in scenes that horrified politicians, bringing back memories of darker times in the country’s history. Protesters held up imperial banners, a flag now deployed by the far right as the swastika is banned in Germany.
Among them were QAnon supporters toting the US conspiracy group’s insignia, as well as a symbol rarely associated with German anti-government protests: the US Stars and Stripes.
Germany has been lauded for its pandemic response, thanks to wide-scale testing and a fast response to the outbreak which has helped keep its Covid-19 mortality rate low — despite a high number of reported cases. Yet the events at the Reichstag have worried experts that the country has become a victim of its own success, allowing for the spread of coronavirus scepticism.
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