Hundreds of lockdown skeptics gathered over the weekend in cities across Europe to protest against measures imposed to curb a rise in COVID-19 infections.

In recent weeks, Europe has found itself once more at the epicenter of a renewed surge in the pandemic, as COVID-19 cases rose following the spread of newly-identified variants.  

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There is now some tentative hope that the continent is turning the corner, with vaccination drives picking up pace and restrictions beginning to ease. 

However, this hasn't stopped some groups in various European cities from showing their continued discontent over lockdown restrictions.

Estonia 

People protesting against coronavirus restrictions gathered on Toompea Hill and in Freedom Square in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, on Sunday.

Some demonstrators were arrested by police for not abiding by rules implemented to curb the rise in COVID-19 infections, as barriers were installed where protesters had gathered.

Demonstrators in Freedom Square gave each other group hugs and waved the country's blue, black and white flags.

Finland

In the Finnish capital of Helsinki on Saturday, a demonstration which had gathered up to 300 people in the city center – and was not reported to the authorities – was quickly dispersed and 20 people were arrested and fined.

Public gatherings of more than six people are banned in Helsinki due to the pandemic, but many protesters formed a procession and began a march to Kauppatori Square, where the parade ended in mid-afternoon.

Finland has one of Europe's best records on COVID-19 but cases began to rise in mid-February, prompting the government to introduce new restrictions including closing restaurants. It presented a local containment plan before withdrawing it after reservations about its legality.

Denmark

Hundreds of people gathered on Saturday evening in the center of Copenhagen to protest against measures taken by the authorities in the face of COVID-19, including mass testing and restriction of movement.

The demonstration, organized by a group calling themselves "Men in Black," marched through the streets in what the authorities called a "relatively peaceful" way before reaching the town hall in the middle of the evening.

Demonstrators voiced opposition in particular to the new "corona pass" implemented earlier on Tuesday. The pass certifies that someone has either been fully vaccinated, has tested negative in the previous 72 hours or has tested positive two to 12 weeks earlier, conferring immunity to the virus.

Denmark has been in partial containment since the end of December after recording a sharp increase in cases. Several restrictive measures have been lifted since February, but the general reopening is only envisaged for May 21, a date chosen to correspond with the completion of vaccination of people over 50 years old.

Norway

In Norway, 200 protesters demonstrated and burned masks on Saturday in the center of the capital Oslo.

The Nordic country, which had fared relatively better than most European countries, tightened up before the Easter holidays after cases jumped in mid- to late-March. 

Austria

Further south, around 1,500 people gathered in Vienna to protest against the extension of a government-imposed lockdown and curfew.

Earlier this week, authorities in the eastern states of Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland decided to extend the currently-imposed lockdown until April 18, which is a week longer than was initially planned, amid rising infection rates and hospitalizations.

Parts of Austria entered lockdown at the beginning of April to curb the spread of the virus before Easter and prevent the healthcare system from being overwhelmed.

More than 9,600 deaths from COVID-19 have been recorded in the Alpine republic since the beginning of the pandemic.

Romania

Hundreds of protesters also took to the streets of Bucharest on Saturday to demonstrate against restrictive measures implemented by authorities to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

Various groups converged in Victory Square and University Square as they expressed frustration over restrictions such as curfews and business closures, which came into force at the end of March amid another wave of the virus.  

Many demonstrators waved Romanian flags and chanted "Freedom" and "Down with the government." Some brandished placards that read: "EU=Vaccinistan," in protest against COVID-19 vaccinations which are underway in the country, but are not compulsory.

Saturday's protest was one of a number of recent anti-restriction and anti-vaccination demonstrations to have taken place in Romania in recent weeks.

The protest was held on the same day that Romania passed the bleak milestone of one million confirmed cases of COVID-19 since its first recorded infection in February last year. Intensive care units in hospitals are struggling to cope with the record demands of just under 1,500 COVID-19 patients, while 12,000 more are in other wards.

Elsewhere, a Kosovar restaurant owner held an unusual protest against lockdown measures – setting mannequins instead of customers on the empty chairs of his closed restaurant.

Petrit Kllokoqi, the owner of Bagolina restaurant in Pristina and head of the Kosovar Association of Gastronomy, said he was holding the silent protest on behalf of all eateries after local authorities ruled to suspend in-house dining for 12 days from April 7 to 18.

Protests were also expected in German cities including Dusseldorf this weekend as retail shop owners show their discontent at restrictions which have harmed their businesses. COVID-19 skeptics were also expected to gather in front of headquarters of public service TV broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk in Frankfurt.