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BERLIN, Aug. 1-- Despite the rising number of confirmed infection cases, about 17,000 people turned up here on Saturday rallying against social distancing rules meant to curb the coronavirus pandemic, which was later dispersed by the police. Protesters marched from the landmark Brandenburg Gate through central Berlin before holding a rally on a wide boulevard. Police then broke up the rally, saying that the organizers were unable to ensure that safety and health regulations were being observed. The police said on Twitter that over 17,000 attended the protest. A criminal complaint against the organizers for failing to comply with the regulation was later filed. Many protesters wore no masks and disregarded social distancing rules. Some yelled at people who wore masks, telling them to remove them. There were placards reading "Stop corona insanity", while some protestors wore T-shirts with "Corona=fake news" printed on the front. "Why are you wearing a mask?... Mask wearers die earlier!" A protester shouted at a Xinhua reporter. There were demonstrators waving flags of various German states, and some of the right-wing groups even carried Germany's black, white and red imperial flag. "We are the second wave!" some protesters shouted, referring to the second wave of the coronavirus outbreak as scientists and the government have warned against. The protest, declared as "Day of Freedom", was supported by some neo-Nazi groups and conspiracy theorists, along with Germans who say they are fed up with the government's restrictions to curb the pandemic. | 
