SCHWEINFURT, Germany (LifeSiteNews) — German police pepper-sprayed a four-year-old boy and then reported his mother for child endangerment during a contentious protest held as Germany ramps up its draconian COVID-19 response strategies.
According to the Daily Mail, the incident occurred during an anti-lockdown protest in Schweinfurt, Bavaria on the night of December 26, as German law enforcement officers clashed with citizens protesting harsh and discriminatory COVID policies.
Confrontations between police and protesters had reportedly turned physical during the event, with police striking at people with batons and deploying pepper spray while protesters reportedly “punched, kicked and spat” on officers.
Among those on the receiving end of the German officers’ tactics was a four-year-old boy who was “accidentally pepper-sprayed” by officers.
“Footage shows the screaming child, who was taken to the demonstration in a pram, being treated by two officers after coming into contact with the spray,” the outlet reported.
Police stated that within minutes of receiving eyewash treatment from the officers, the boy was “completely symptom-free again.”
Following the shocking event, German police reportedly filed an official complaint against the boy’s mother for bringing him to the protest, arguing that she put her child in danger.
The mother was ordered to appear before a judge the following day in response to the allegations.
German Police is now using pepper spray against toddlers of peaceful demstrators! #Schweinfurt @TuckerCarlson https://t.co/jhzGLIHxL7
— Julian Schuler 🇮🇱 (@JulianSchuler7) December 26, 2021
Police union boss Oliver Malchow lashed out at the boy’s mother and others who opt to bring young children to similar events, arguing the parents are using their children “as protective shields against police measures.”
“These mothers and fathers accept that their child will get into a violent confrontation,” Malchow argued in a statement to the German Rheinische Post newspaper, the Daily Mail reported.
“People are more and more frustrated the longer the corona issue simmers,” Malchow continued, adding “[u]nfortunately, there is no end to these conflicts in sight.”
According to The Spectator, opponents of lockdowns and other heavily restrictive COVID-19 measures in Germany have gotten creative in skirting the country’s ban on public gatherings, loosely organizing public “walks” or “shopping trips” with their families to slip past restrictions and still demonstrate against harsh COVID-related requirements.
“But in many cases, things escalate anyway,” the report observed, making note of the incident involving the pepper-sprayed child during the Schweinfurt protest over Christmas weekend.
According to the Daily Mail, eight protesters were arrested during the Schweinfurt demonstration and another 44 faced legal proceedings.
The December 26 protest was not the only event in which Germans have gathered to express their displeasure with restrictive COVID rules.
Germany has seen a surge in anti-lockdown protests over the past months as the nation introduces increasingly harsh and authoritarian measures, including discriminatory lockdowns specifically targeting unvaccinated Germans.
“Anger has been ignited by fresh rules being imposed across the country,” the Daily Mail reported, noting that rules “limiting private gatherings to 10 people and shutting large venues, including football stadiums and nightclubs,” took effect December 28.
Meanwhile, since the beginning of December, “unvaccinated Germans have been banned from entering non-essential establishments.”
With anti-lockdown demonstrations widely banned throughout Germany (though an allowance was granted for an LGBTQ rally over the summer), police have often met protesters with physical force, even resorting to violence against children and older women.
This child will never forget being hit by a police officer just for worrying about his mom. What message is he growing up with? Shame on them!!! #violence #abuse #childabuse #berlin #protest #germany #nomandatoryvaccine pic.twitter.com/XKuqgmTu00
— Kabyreh Voltaire 🏴 (@Kabyreh) August 1, 2021
Just before Christmas, a German member of parliament explicitly called for police violence against anti-lockdown protesters in a tweet she later deleted.
“The police must act, and in case of doubt, use pepper spray and batons,” Saskia Weishaupt wrote.
Conflicts between German citizens and law enforcement are unlikely to quickly subside as the nation tightens the screws on its own people in an effort to compel vaccination against COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the scientific backing for Germany’s reaction appears to stand on shaky ground, with the Daily Mail noting that “the new restrictions come as infections appear to be on the decline and evidence shows the new Omicron variant is milder, similar to a cold.