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A German regional court has given activists permission to hold mass demonstrations in Berlin after a ruling in the capital banned the protests.

The protests, expected to attract up to 20,000 people demonstrating against the government’s strict measures against the coronavirus, are scheduled for today. Police have deployed more than 3,000 officers to control the demonstrations after militant activists took to social media to urge followers across Europe to arm themselves and gather in Berlin, according to a Reuters report.

Activists had been angered by the city’s ban on protests after demonstrators at a recent rally failed to wear masks or maintain social distance.

Until recently Germany has managed the coronavirus crisis better than many of its European counterparts, with reliance on rigorous testing helping to hold down infections and deaths.