Germany vows to ‘defend itself’ as police raid anti-vaxxers

Germany yesterday vowed to "defend itself" against radicalised anti-vaccination groups after police launched raids in response to death threats against a top politician backing decisive measures to fight the pandemic.

Police and special forces staged an operation in Saxony after an anti-vaccine group targeted the region's state premier, who has vocally supported national measures against the unvaccinated in one of the areas of the country with the lowest inoculation rates.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who took office last week, said Germany would "not allow a tiny minority of uninhibited extremists to try to impose its will on the whole of society".

The security forces earlier launched the operation in the eastern city of Dresden following threats from an anti-vaccine group against state premier Michael Kretschmer.