The Hague — A protest against COVID-19 broke out in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam, injuring seven and arresting more than 20.
During the protests on Friday night, a crowd of hundreds of mobs burned cars, set fireworks, and threw stones at police. Police responded with warning fire and water cannons.
“Police were forced to pull weapons and even shoot directly,” Mayor Ahmed Abauareb said at a press conference early Saturday.
He said it was a “violent orgy.” “I can’t think of another way to explain it.”
Dutch Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhaus also blamed the violence.
“The right to protest is very important in our society, but what we saw last night was just a criminal act,” said Grapper House.
Protesters gathered to oppose the government’s plan to limit access to indoor venues to those with a “corona pass,” indicating that they had been vaccinated or had already recovered from the infection. rice field.
This pass is also available to those who have not been vaccinated but have proven negative test results.
Organizers of a planned protest against coronavirus control in Amsterdam on Saturday said they canceled the event after Friday’s violence.
DJs have called for musical protests in cities south of Breda against current COVID-19 measures, including the closure of bars, restaurants and clubs at 8 pm. The organizers say they expect thousands.
The Netherlands re-imposed some blockades last weekend for the first three weeks to delay the recurrence of the coronavirus infection, but daily infections have remained at the highest levels since the start of the pandemic.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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