Police arrested more than 150 people after incidents in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and smaller Dutch cities on Monday.
Photographer: Marco de Swart / AFP / Getty Images
Photographer: Marco de Swart / AFP / Getty Images
The Netherlands has faced the worst civil unrest in four decades, following a third night of riots against a government pandemic, just weeks before the national elections.
Police arrested 184 people after the incidents in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and smaller Dutch cities on Monday night, the ANP news agency reported. Acting Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Monday described the riots as “criminal violence”.
It is not yet clear what impact the unrest will have on the March 17 elections. Rutte’s government resigned on January 15 over a harsh report on childcare benefits, making him head of an interim cabinet until a new government is formed. This process could take months.
Recent opinion polls show that 53-year-old Rutte, who has enjoyed strong public support along the Covid-19 outbreak, is likely to remain as prime minister as his VVD party strengthens its position. leader. In Dutch politics, the largest part of parliament takes over the formation of a cabinet.
From the begining traffic light, there have been large-scale demonstrations in what a local police union has nicknamed the worst riots in four decades. People began firing at police officers on Sunday in a protest in a square near the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, and images showed others robbing a supermarket at Eindhoven’s main train station.
The incidents took place as the country is in a blockade, with non-essential shops, restaurants and bars closed until at least February 9th. The nationwide extinction has been added to the government’s arsenal amid concerns about new coronavirus variants that could spread faster.
At the same time, the total number of cases has decreased in recent weeks. The latest weekly data will be published later on Tuesday.
While some protesters appeared to be focused on destroying property, others expressed opposition to what they believe was an unjust violation of their freedom by the government.
“This has nothing to do with the fight for freedom,” Rutte said in The Hague on Monday, adding that in his view, 99% of Dutch people follow the rules – including the timing.
“We are taking these measures not to have fun, but because we are fighting the virus and it is that virus that is taking our freedom right now,” he said.
– With the assistance of Diederik Baazil
(Updates the number of arrests in the second paragraph.)