Maribor - A few hundred people gathered in Freedom Square in Maribor on Saturday afternoon to protest the government's measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The event was monitored by police officers, who were calling on the protesters on loudspeakers to respect the measures, only to be booed.

According to the initial estimates by the Maribor Police Department, the unannounced protest that had been called vie social networks was attended by around 400 people.

Some of them were holding signs or Slovenian flags, and some addressed the crowd by mobile speakers or microphones, and were cheered.

"People who fight for freedom, truth and justice are standing in this square," one of them said, and another one added that "this is not a protest, this is an assembly for freedom, to maintain our dignity that has been taken away from us."

Criticism could be heard of the announced self-testing for the novel coronavirus in schools, continued closure of bars and restaurants and wearing of face masks, with only a few of the protesters wearing them.

Although the Maribor Police Department on Friday advised vulnerable groups not to attend such events, parents with children and older persons could be seen in the crowd. Many of them brought beverages and drank them in groups.

According to the police, the event was peaceful, while individual violations of the infectuous diseases act were recorded and several persons were IDed.