The Dutch PM Mark Rutte has doomed weekend protests against the new imposed Covid-19 restrictions as “criminal violence.” A group of rebels attacked the police and set vehicles on fire to protest against a curfew preceded on Saturday. In Eindhoven’s southern state, radicals hurled fireworks, looted the supermarket, and smashed windows of a few shops.
Also, there were a few smaller protests in the city of Amsterdam and around the country.
More than 200 people are detained according to the police officials. Mr Rutte has stated to the reporters that the protest has nothing to do with it on Monday. This is a criminal violence, and we will take it as such.
In Eindhoven, fireworks and golfballs were thrown by the rebels at the police in a gesture of protest. The police force had to employ tear gas to control the crowd. In the city of Enschede, the rebels hurled stones on the windows of a hospital. A centre for testing Covid-19 was also set alight by the people on Saturday of last week in the northern village of Urk. This act of rebel was reported by the local authorities there.
Hugo De Jonge said that the fire in the screening centre of Urk was beyond all limits. Hugo is the Health Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
Rules for Curfew
The Dutch government has just introduced curfew of the toughest measures since the beginning of the pandemic. This also includes night-time curfew that runs from 20:00 GMT to 4:30. This curfew is the first in the country since World War Two.
Moreover, the fine for anyone violating the curfew rules will have to pay €95 (£84).
Many citizens see vaccination as the key to their freedom. But the Netherlands is lagging in administering the rollout of required vaccines. The country is the last to roll out vaccine in the EU.
Till date, 1,35,000 people have been given their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.
Herber Bruls has stated that while he can understand the protestor’s frustration, but then the more the Dutch preserved, the sooner their freedoms would be given to them. Mr Herber is the National Security Council Chairman of the county.
