It was organised by the Natural Health Community, who demanded to see the science behind the measures taken to curb the transmission of COVID-19. It warned that current virus restrictions affected their fundamental human rights.

“We are not denying that there is a crisis, but we disagree on how Malta is handling it,” Rudolph Ragonesi, who heads the Gaia Foundation told the crowd.

“We have every right to know the science behind the measures taken.”

Earlier this month, the group filed a judicial protest against the Superintendent for Public Health Charmaine Gauci, arguing that public health restrictions are unlawful without a declaration of a public state of emergency. They also expressed doubt about PCR testing and forced self-isolation for asymptomatic carriers.

The group also endorsed the Barrington Declaration, a document signed by 10,000 medical and science practitioners. It calls on governments overturn their coronavirus strategies by protecting the vulnerable whilst allowing herd immunity to develop with younger people.

“If thousands of doctors have signed this declaration, don’t we have a right to know whose opinion is correct?” the speaker continued.

Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci urged protesters to understand the realities of the pandemic.

“COVID-19 is real. You can speak to our public health team and hear their stories, our frontliners that care for patients, those treating people in intensive care. Speak to the families affected, those who have lost loved ones and those stuck in quarantine,” Gauci said in response to a question posed by Lovin Malta.

Countries like France, Germany, Belgium and Italy have seen a surge in protests after fresh lockdown measures were introduced to tackle the second wave of COVID-19.

What do you think of today’s protest?