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Riot police clashed with protesters in Amsterdam and the port city of Rotterdam, where people broke shop windows and stole supplies from them.
Riots have also occurred in the eastern city of Amersfoort and the southern city of Gelen, near Maastricht, as well as in The Hague and ‘s-Hertogenbosch, police and media reported.
Until 11 pm More than 70 people were arrested at local time (midnight in Lithuania), according to the public broadcaster NOS.
Gelen police previously reported on Twitter that officials are cracking down on “riot-ravaged youth who launch fireworks.”
Police used a water cannon in Rotterdam in clashes with protesters, the NOS said.
The city’s mayor, Ahmed Aboutaleb, declared a state of emergency, expanding the powers of the police to arrest people.
“An urgent request for everyone to leave that place,” the city council said in a Twitter message.
Photos posted on social media show rioters robbing a store in Hertogenbosch. At the time, a photojournalist in Harlem received a blow to the head when an angry crowd chased him and rioters threw a brick at him.
Criminal violence
Earlier, Prime Minister Mark Rutte condemned the “criminal violence” that broke out the night before. Police described the upheaval as “the biggest riot in 40 years”.
During a demonstration that broke out on Sunday night in Amsterdam, Eindhoven and other cities, police harassed protesters with a water cannon and tear gas, and also detained about 250 people, local media reported.
On Monday evening, the mayors of several Dutch cities announced that they would declare a state of emergency to prevent further unrest.
On the first night, rioters devastated shops, burned cars and set fire to a COVID-19 testing station. The unrest was fueled by the curfew regime that went into effect Saturday night, introduced for the first time since World War II.
“It just came to our attention then. All normal people will be terrified of it,” Rutte told reporters.
“The motives of these people have nothing to do with the protests, it is criminal violence and we will respond accordingly,” promised the prime minister.
Police used service dogs to repel protesters gathered in Amsterdam near the famous Van Gogh Museum on Saturday.
In Eindhoven, where a car was looted and burned during the riots, Mayor John Jorritsma compared the situation to a “civil war” and called for the deployment of troops to help law enforcement.
Rutte also condemned the ‘idiots’ who stoned the Enschede hospital.
Prophetic
After the curfew regime extends until at least February 10, residents cannot leave the house from 9 p.m. until 4 p.m. 30 minutes. Violators face a fine of € 95.
The exceptions apply to people who need to work, attend a funeral, take dogs or in some other cases, as long as they present a certificate.
The Netherlands has already had the most severe restrictions since the start of the pandemic. Bars and restaurants closed in October, and schools and non-essential stores have been closed since December.
More than 13.5 thousand people have died in the country since the coronavirus pandemic began. infected people.
Although morbidity has been declining in recent days, there are now fears that new, more contagious coronavirus strains will spread, prompting the government to introduce a curfew.
The head of the police union, Koen Simmers, told the NOS on Monday that law enforcement agencies should prepare for further unrest.
“I hope it was a unique event, but I’m afraid it could be prophetic for days and weeks,” he said.
Will not give in to the “villains”
The Dutch government will not renounce the curfew introduced in the fight against the pandemic, despite riots caused by “villains” three nights, Finance Minister W. Hoekstra said Tuesday.
“Nobody capitulates against people who smash shop windows. That is not the case, “W. Hoekstra was quoted as saying by the country’s news agency ANP.
According to the minister, the people responsible for the riots in various cities are not legitimate protesters.
“That’s what bastards do,” he added.
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