Seven people injured during COVID-19 lockdown protest.
Seven people injured during COVID-19 lockdown protest.
Rotterdam police and protesters clash as coronavirus protest turns into ‘orgy of violence’. Seven people injured during COVID-19 lockdown protest.
Demonstrators take part in a protest against a partial coronavirus lockdown and against the government policy on Coolsingel street on November 19, 2021 in the port city of Rotterdam.
A protest in Rotterdam against new coronavirus restrictions turned violent on Friday evening, with several people injured and police firing shots and using a water cannon.
“Fires have been set in various places, fireworks are set off and the police have fired several (warning) shots,” Rotterdam police tweeted at around 9:30 p.m., adding that officers were present in large numbers and “trying to restore order.”
An hour later, police deployed a water cannon and announced that people would be banned from entering the Coolsingel, one of Rotterdam’s main streets and the center of the rioting.
At a press conference in the middle of the night, Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb confirmed that seven people had been injured and 20 arrests made, with the police firing warning shots to disperse protesters and put an end to what he called “an orgy of violence.”
The riots came a week after the Dutch government announced that the country would enter a partial lockdown to cope with surging coronavirus cases. Among the measures introduced was an obligation for bars and restaurants to close at 8 p.m.
Dutch Justice Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus condemned Friday’s riots in an official statement early Saturday, denouncing “extreme violence” against police officers, medical staff and firefighters as “disgusting to see.”
“Men and women who take to the streets every day for our safety were attacked and pelted with stones and fireworks,” Grapperhaus said, adding that following a number of arrests overnight, “more will be arrested in the coming days and weeks, and swift justice will be served.”
The minister said that while it is understandable that pandemic precautions “stir up a lot of emotions in society” and a debate about them is desirable, violence has no place in the Netherlands.