EU country arrests over 100 following anti-lockdown riots — Analysis
Three nights of anti-lockdown violence that rocked Holland over the weekend saw more than 100 arrests. Prime Minister Mark Rutte called the rioters “idiots” and warned of new restrictions.
Arrests continued on Sunday evening as crowds of angry youths rampaged through Dutch cities for a third consecutive day, as protests against the government’s Covid-19 measures turned violent.
Rotterdam police opened fire on two protestors after burning a police vehicle.
Learn more
Over the weekend, there was no sign of the riots subsiding. The mayors of many Dutch towns and cities, such as Enschede or Groningen, declared an overnight state of emergency.
A group of black youths dressed in black pelted officers with stones and set fire to their cars, damaging shops. Groningen’s city centre was surrounded by large crowds on Sunday. Police sought to expel them from the area. “committing destruction”According to police officials, it was.
The Hague saw a rock thrown through the windshield on an ambulance transporting a patient. Meanwhile, in Roosendaal, police officers were stationed to a place where children were lighting fireworks. Local reports suggest that fireworks might have caused a fire to erupt at Roosendaal’s primary school Sunday evening.
After dozens more arrests the day before, 30 individuals were detained in different Dutch cities. Many police officers sustained injuries during the riots.
The violence was sparked by the government’s decision to re-impose a partial Covid-19 lockdown to stifle the surge of new infections. Restaurants and shops will have to close earlier and spectators cannot attend sporting events. The lockdown lasts for three weeks.
PM Rutte attacked the rioters on Monday “idiots”They were called the Protests “nothing but pure violence.” He also said that new measures could be introduced in addition to the existing restrictions in early December – or even sooner, if the Covid situation does not improve.
You think your friends might be interested in this story? Tell your friends!
[ad_2]