In Germany, protests in front of the parliament turned into celebrations after the government’s proposal for a mandatory vaccine against Covid-19 for citizens aged 60 and over, which was presented to the parliament, and was rejected in the voting. In a statement after the vote, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach expressed his disappointment and said, “It will now be much more difficult to fight Covid-19 in the fall.”

Claiming that mandatory vaccination by law would violate constitutional rights, anti-vaccination opponents gathered in front of the historic Brandenburg Gate, next to the parliament to protest the law that was intended to be enacted. At the demonstrations, which brought together about 1,500 protesters, politicians were accused of not knowing what they were doing.

The bill mandating Covid-19 vaccination for people over the age of 60 was rejected by a vote of 379 to 296 in the Bundestag.