Villagers torch virus testing centre in Netherlands
- by Virginia Carter
- in World Media
- — Jan 26, 2021
Dutch police clashed with protesters demonstrating against the country's lockdown in the capital, Amsterdam and the southern city of Eindhoven on Sunday, a day after rioting youths protesting the country's curfew torched a coronavirus testing facility in a Dutch fishing village.
He said around 70 rioters had been arrested and police had used tear gas in the western city of Haarlem as well as Rotterdam.
Protesters, organised in part by restaurant owners fed up with the country's long-lasting lockdown measures, carried a banner saying "Stop The Lockdown".
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte condemned "criminal violence" on Monday after protesters against a coronavirus curfew went on the rampage in several cities.
The Netherlands has also restricted global travel - banning travel overseas until March 31 - and limited flights from the United Kingdom and several South American countries.
Monday evening's trouble follows disturbances on Sunday as protestors staged demonstrations against the coronavirus rules in Amsterdam and Eindhoven.
Police said those who were arrested on Saturday night were people who refused to go home or who committed acts of violence.
Police reported that as of Saturday, officers wrote more than 3,600 tickets for violations of the new curfew.
The Netherlands appeared to be bearing the brunt of the unrest on Sunday as authorities use water cannons and dogs to quell demonstrations in Amsterdam.
In Rotterdam, mayor Achmed Aboutaleb evoked his emergency powers and called in riot police with water cannon after trouble broke out in the south of the city.
Police arrested a 39-year-old man in Almere on Saturday for posting threatening messages about journalists online, national news agency ANP reported.
The Dutch government has implemented a number of tough measures created to stop the spread of the coronavirus. 'Any normal person will look at this with disgust and ask themselves what possessed these people, ' Rutte said. "This is criminal violence, and that's how we'll treat it".
The Dutch government has introduced its toughest measures since the start of the pandemic - including a night-time curfew which runs from 21:00 (20:00 GMT) to 04:30.
This is the first curfew in the country since World War Two.
Violators of the 9 pm to 4:30 am curfew, which is set to last until at least February 10, face a 95 euro ($115) fine.
New infections in the Netherlands have generally been declining for a month, after hospitality venues shut in October and schools and non-essential shops closed in mid-December.
