German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned as “shameful” an attempt by protesters angry at coronavirus restrictions to storm parliament, saying they had abused the right to demonstrate peacefully.

“This right to demonstrate peacefully is of course a very valuable asset even during a pandemic,” Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said at a government press conference in Berlin. However, he said their actions were “a clear abuse”, AFP reported.

“The result was disgraceful images at the Reichstag which are unacceptable, anti-democrats trying to make themselves heard on the steps of our democratic parliament,” he said.

Police estimated 38,000 people, double the number expected, gathered in Berlin on Saturday to protest restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, such as wearing masks and social distancing.