Berlin, August 2 (RHC)-- Thousands of protesters against German coronavirus restrictions converged in Berlin over the weekend for a demonstration proclaiming "the end of the pandemic" has arrived just as authorities voice increasing concerns about an upturn in new infections.

A crowd of people whistling and cheering, with few masks in sight, marched through downtown Berlin from the Brandenburg Gate ahead of a rally on a wide boulevard that runs through the city's Tiergarten park.

Protesters held up home-made placards featuring slogans that included: "Corona, false alarm," "We are being forced to wear a muzzle," "Natural defense instead of vaccination" and "End the corona panic - bring fundamental rights back."

Germany's management of the pandemic has been viewed as relatively successful. The country's death toll - just over 9,150 out of more than 210,670 confirmed virus cases as of Saturday - is lower than in comparable nations.