OTTERLO, The Netherlands (PA) – Amsterdam police turned a water cannon on hundreds of protesters taking part in a banned protest against the Dutch government and its harsh coronavirus blockade on Sunday.
Police on horseback also moved to break into the demonstration in a large square surrounded by museums, including the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum.
The Amsterdam municipality said police against the protests had taken steps to disperse the crowd because people were not following social distancing measures.
“Because of the danger to public health, it is important that everyone respects the measures in force. The demonstrators do not do that “, the municipality said in a tweet.
By mid-afternoon, the square was empty except for dozens of police, although some protesters remained on nearby streets.
The demonstration had been banned earlier in the week due to fears that too many people would participate and not respect social distance.
The Amsterdam protest came as Dutch interim government ministers met in The Hague to discuss options to limit the spread of coronavirus, including the possibility of imposing an extinction for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.
The government resigned on Friday after the publication of a report condemned in a scandal in which thousands of parents were falsely labeled fraudsters by tax officials, but ministers remain in power until a new coalition is formed after the March 17 general election .