Several dozen prostitutes armed with an inflatable sex doll staged a protest in Berlin on Friday against coronavirus restrictions they say are preventing them from making a living.
The protesters gathered outside the Bundesrat upper house of parliament with red umbrellas and placards bearing slogans such as "Let us work," "Open the brothels now" and "Our sector is being driven underground".
Prostitution is legal and regulated in Germany, with sex workers entitled to employment contracts and social security benefits.
Brothels have been allowed to reopen in neighbouring countries such as Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, the association pointed out.