Dutch police have arrested dozens on the second night of the COVID-19 riots, Reuters said

By Anthony Deutsch

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Five policemen were injured in the Netherlands and at least 40 people were arrested in the three provinces, as violent protests against COVID-19 restrictions continued on Sunday night.

Dutch authorities used water cannons, dogs and mountain police to light fires and stop youth riots by firing fireworks, the complete blockade resulted in widespread disorder and more than 500 arrests in January.

The latest riots began on Friday night in Rotterdam, where police fired hundreds more people in a protest that the city’s mayor said had turned into an “orgy of violence”.

Three people who were hit by police bullets were left in hospital on Sunday, authorities said.

The protests sparked opposition to the government’s plans to restrict the use of the national crown pass to people who have been cured or vaccinated from COVID-19, excluding those with a negative test result.

The Netherlands imposed some blocking measures on 17.5 million people last weekend in an attempt to slow the virus’s recovery for the first three weeks, but daily infections have remained at their highest level since the pandemic began.

Young people were also outraged by the ban on New Year’s Eve fireworks to avoid further pressure on hospitals that are already forced to seek care as a result of the rise in COVID-19 patients.

The most serious clashes on Saturday night were in The Hague, in which five officers were injured, one of them seriously, according to a police statement. Ertzaintza made the allegations on horseback and arrested 19 people, one of whom was passing by throwing a stone from the window of an ambulance.

Two Eredivisie League football matches, closed to the public due to severe restrictions on COVID-19, were suspended on Saturday night when small groups of fans entered the stadiums and threw fireworks.

Police reported another 13 arrests in two towns in the southern province of Limburg, and there were also incidents in the northern province of Flevoland. Eight people were arrested in the town of Urk, where a COVID-19 testing station was set on fire earlier this year.