Thousands of extremists take part in protests against COVID-19 restrictions in Germany, Reuters reported referring to the head of state intelligence of Germany, Michael Fischer.

According to him, a preliminary check of images from the August 29 protest showed that at least 2,500-3,000 right-wing extremists and Reich citizens took part in the protests. The Reich Citizens movement challenges the legitimacy of the German constitution after World War II and intersects with extreme right-wing groups.

But beyond that, undoubtedly, there were also people who could not be identified as right-wing extremists or citizens of the Reich by their appearance, Fischer said.

Attempts by some protesters to storm the Reichstag parliament building in Berlin were widely condemned by German officials. But some lawmakers have also criticized the apparent lack of police training. Only a handful of officers stood in the way of the protesters on the steps of the Reichstag until reinforcements arrived.

Fischer acknowledged that authorities had received information before the protest that some participants had called for the storming of the parliament building, and that security officials had discussed the threat at a meeting two days before the event. But he insisted that officials did not foresee that the protesters would carry out the plan.

Almost 40,000 people took part in the protests on 29 August, police said.