COVID protests in the Netherlands turn violent for a second night Coronavirus pandemic News

New incidents have erupted in the Netherlands over the coronavirus measures by the Dutch government, with protesters throwing stones and fireworks at police in The Hague.

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Five police officers were injured and at least seven people were arrested.

Incidents also erupted in the central “Bible Belt” cities of Urk and southern Limburg province, as angry fans interrupted two indoor football matches due to coronavirus rules, according to Dutch media.

The first matches in the western city of Alkmaar and the eastern city of Almelo, between AZ-NEC and Heracles-Fortuna Sittard, had to be stopped for several minutes, Dutch media reported.

The unrest was sparked by police firing on protesters in Rotterdam and one day the mayor of the port erupted in what he called a “orgy of violence” in a protest against COVID-19 restrictions.

At least three people have been injured and 51 have been arrested in Rotterdam.

Coronavirus measures have been one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the Netherlands since they were first implemented in the Netherlands. In January, riots also attacked police and set fire to the streets of Rotterdam after the decree came into force.

Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhaus condemned the events.

“Bart Rotterdam’s police, riot police and firefighters’ incidents and extreme violence are disgusting to watch, ”he said in a statement.

“Protesting is a great right in our society, but what we saw last night is just criminal behavior. It has nothing to do with the demonstration, ”he added.

An independent investigation into police shootings was opened, as is the case every time the Dutch police use weapons.

The Netherlands reintroduced some blockade measures last weekend to try to revive coronavirus contamination for the first three weeks, but daily infections have remained at their highest level since the pandemic began.

The Dutch government now intends to ban vaccinated people from entering certain places, known as the 2G option.

Demonstrators gather at Cafe del Mondon for demonstrations against COVID-19 measures in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on November 20, 2021 [Eva Plevier/ Reuters]

On Saturday in The Hague, a pizza shop owner told AFP news agency that police had dragged several people out of his shop, smashed the front door glass and hit him in the head “for no reason.”

“These people here are protesting around 2G and blocking,” Ferdi Yilmaz said. “They’re angry about it.”

AFP reporters reported that police had arrested several people in the Schilderswijk district of The Hague in the working class, while street-wearing agents dragged a woman from a car.

In a statement, Hague police said among the five injured officers, one was taken to hospital after suffering a blow and two others suffered hearing damage as a result of loud fireworks.

An accidental stone shattered the window of an ambulance carrying a patient, they said.

Earlier on Saturday, peaceful protests involving thousands of people against the reduction of coronavirus took place in several cities.

In Amsterdam, thousands of protesters showed up in the middle of the city’s Dam Square march, despite the fact that a group canceled the rally due to the violence of the previous night.

The march continued quietly, controlled by a large police presence.

Another thousand marched through the southern city of Breda, near the Belgian border, carrying banners with slogans such as “No Blocks”.

Organizers said they were opposed to a plan to exclude Prime Minister Mark Rutte from being excluded from bars and restaurants.

“People want to live, that’s why we’re here,” said organizer Joost Eras.

But “we are not rebels. We are at peace, ”he said.

Around him was a festive atmosphere, with some protesters dancing behind the floats carrying DJs, called “party buses”.