Germany’s Bizarre Anti-Lockdown Protesters. On Saturday, around 38,000 people marched in Berlin, calling for an end to pandemic restrictions. It was a bizarre mix of people: families and senior citizens were joined by right-wing extremists, some sporting swastika tattoos. Protesters brandished signs reading “Take off the slave masks,” while others held up peace flags. Many shouted “We are the people” and others called on President Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia to “liberate” Germany. In a scene bound to be inscribed in the country’s history, a group carrying the “Reichsflagge,” the black, white and red flag of the German Empire that served as the basis for that used by the Nazi regime, broke through a police barrier and attempted to enter the Reichstag, the Parliament building. It was a terrifying escalation in a sequence of protests against the country’s response to the pandemic, beginning in April in the southwestern city of Stuttgart. They have since spread across the country, with varying success — sometimes bringing 250 people out, sometimes 5,000. At the start of the month, they crossed a threshold: Over 30,000 protesters gathered in Berlin on Aug. 1. These demonstrations are something of a mystery. One of the strangest things about them is that there is hardly anything to protest: Most restrictions, never as strict as in some other European countries, have been lifted. So who are the protesters? What brings them to the streets? And are they here to stay?

A central figure is Michael Ballweg, a Stuttgart-based entrepreneur who runs a software firm. Mr. Ballweg, who did not respond to an interview request, is the founder of Querdenken 711 — “Querdenken” means “lateral thinking” and 0711 is Stuttgart’s area code — the organization that has registered most of the demonstrations, including Saturday’s. (While people can gather and protest without asking the authorities’ permission in Germany, all protests in open public spaces must be registered with the police in advance.)

“I am here today,” Mr. Ballweg said in his opening address to the Berlin protest on Aug. 1, “because I dislike the world the federal government presents to me” — a world he depicted as one of control, restrictions and fear. Though he does not outright question the existence of the virus, he claims that it is less dangerous than the government says and that the restrictions are excessive. “There is no pandemic,” he has said.

He seems to believe in conspiracy theories. During Mr. Ballweg’s opening speech, he appeared to reference the American group QAnon, reciting a phrase frequently used in social media posts linked to the group: “Where we go one, we go all.” He also referred to Mr. Trump, who many hoped would “save them all” — and were now disappointed to see him promote wearing masks.

Mr. Ballweg is the tip of the iceberg.