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Riot police clashed with groups of protesters in Amsterdam and in the port city of Rotterdam, where people broke through shop windows and looted their supplies.
People loot a shop during clashes between the police and a large group of young people in Beijerlandselaan in Rotterdam, on January 25, 2021. Image: Marco de Swart / AFP.
THE HAGUE – The Netherlands was hit by a second wave of unrest on Monday night, when protesters again wreaked havoc in several cities following the introduction of the coronavirus curfew over the weekend.
Riot police clashed with groups of protesters in Amsterdam and in the port city of Rotterdam, where people broke through shop windows and looted their supplies.
The unrest also affected Amersfoort in the east, the small southern town of Geleen near Maastricht, The Hague and Den Bosch, police and news reports said.
More than 70 people had been detained by 2200 GMT, public broadcaster NOS reported.
Geleen police said in an earlier tweet that they were dealing with “young rioters who are setting off fireworks.”
In Rotterdam, police used a water cannon after colliding with protesters, the NOS said.
The city’s mayor, Ahmed Aboutaleb, issued an emergency decree that gave the police broader powers of arrest.
“There is an urgent request for everyone to leave the area,” the city council said on Twitter.
Images on social media showed rioters looting a shop in Den Bosch and a press photographer hit on the head in Haarlem after an angry crowd chased after him and threw a brick at him.
The riots against the blockade in Holland extend to a third night https://t.co/a4Gy3FY0r0 pic.twitter.com/GJ6pkCADcn
– CNA (@ChannelNewsAsia) January 26, 2021
Protests against the COVID-19 shutdown measures in the Netherlands turned into riots in several cities. pic.twitter.com/9Yt4tbEYYJ
– M Ikhlaq Siddiqui (@Miksiddiqui) January 25, 2021
‘CRIMINAL VIOLENCE’
The previous prime minister, Mark Rutte, had condemned what he called the “criminal violence” of the night before, which police officers described as “the worst riots in 40 years.”
Police arrested about 250 people after using water cannons and tear gas during demonstrations in Amsterdam, Eindhoven and other cities on Sunday, local media said.
On Monday evening, the mayors of several Dutch cities announced that they would introduce emergency measures to try to prevent further unrest.
On the first night, rioters looted shops, burned cars and set fire to a coronavirus testing station after the country’s first curfew since World War II went into effect on Saturday night.
“It is unacceptable. All normal people will look at it with horror,” Rutte told reporters.
“What motivated these people has nothing to do with protesting, it is criminal violence and we will treat it as such.”
Police in Amsterdam used dogs against protesters who gathered near the famous Van Gogh museum on Saturday.
In Eindhoven, where businesses were looted and a car caught fire, Mayor John Jorritsma compared the situation to a “civil war” and called for the army to be dispatched.
And Rutte condemned the “idiots” who stoned a hospital in the town of Enschede.
Protests against the COVID-19 lockdown measures in the Netherlands escalated into riots in several cities on Sunday.
About 200 people were arrested. Read more: https://t.co/lQ6W3f7BZL pic.twitter.com/7ngANCBFFX
– Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 25, 2021
‘HERALD’
Violators of the 9:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. curfew, which will last until at least February 10, face a fine of 95 euros ($ 115).
Exemptions are allowed, for example, for people who have to work, attend funerals or walk their dogs, provided they present a certificate.
The Netherlands was already under its toughest measures since the start of the pandemic, with bars and restaurants closing in October, and schools and non-essential stores closed since December.
More than 13,500 people have died in the Netherlands since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
While the rate of new infections has slowed, growing fears about new, more infectious strains of the virus prompted the government to announce a curfew.
Police Union Chief Koen Simmers told NOS on Monday that the police were prepared in case the unrest continued.
“I hope it was unique, but I’m afraid it could be a harbinger for the next few days and weeks,” Simmers said.
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