(Reuters.) Tens to thousands protestors marched through several cities in the northwest European region on Saturday to oppose coronavirus restrictions imposed during a spike in infections.

Austria became the first Western European country to reinstate a lockdown last month. It is expected to remain in place for 20 days. The Austrian government also announced that it will make mandatory vaccinations starting February.

Some of the more than 40,000 demonstrators in Vienna https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/thousands-march-vienna-against-coronavirus-lockdown-2021-12-04 carried signs reading: “I will decide for myself”, “Make Austria Great Again” and “New Elections” – a nod to the political turmoil that has seen three chancellors within two months.

There were approximately 1,200 police officers on hand to march along the Ring Boulevard. A counterprotest of 1,500 people was also held, as permitted by Austria’s lockdown.

In the central Dutch town of Utrecht https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/thousands-protest-over-dutch-coronavirus-restrictions-2021-12-04, several thousand demonstrated against restrictions that began last weekend.

Protesters held banners that read “Medical Freedom Now!”With a large presence of police, protesters carried banners reading “Medical Freedom Now!”

This was the first protest in support of the proposed measures that include closing bars and restaurants at night to stop a flood of COVID-19 patients who are threatening to overburden the healthcare system.

Violence broke out after the Dutch government had announced that it would ban unvaccinated persons from public bars and restaurants, as well as other places, two weeks earlier.

Marit van Hunen, a Utrecht protestor said that “We oppose having no freedom (to determine what happens) to our body.”

These plans have been met with strong opposition by parliament and are not yet in force.

After being attacked by protesters, several hundred German citizens marched in Frankfurt to demand that police stop them from wearing masks.

In Berlin, a small group of protestors gathered after the ban on a large demonstration.

German politicians strongly condemned a demonstration by coronavirus opponents that occurred late Friday at the residence of Petra Koepping (health minister in eastern Saxony), which has the highest level of infection. It was described as Nazi-style intimidation by some.