At least seven people were wounded by police shots fired late on Friday (19) in Rotterdam, southwestern Netherlands, after protesters against the new anti-Covid measures imposed by the government burned a vehicle and hurled stones at the forces of safety.
Dozens of people were arrested during the protest on a commercial street in the city’s port, officials said. Among the wounded, there are also police officers. The acts were a response to restrictions against Covid and plans to restrict the access of unvaccinated people to some public places.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced on the 12th the reintroduction of partial confinement along with a series of sanitary restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Until at least December 4th, bars and restaurants must close at 8pm.
Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb, who called the demonstrations an “orgy of violence,” told reporters that “the agents found it necessary to draw weapons to defend themselves.”
According to the country’s press, hundreds of people shouting “freedom” hurled stones at security forces and set fire to electric motorcycles, while police confirmed in a note that they had fired warning shots in the face of fireworks being fired by fireworks. protesters.
In reaction to the turmoil, local authorities issued an emergency order banning access to the protest area to prevent further violence. Rotterdam’s main train station was also closed.
The Minister of Security and Justice, Ferd Grapperhaus, lamented on Saturday (20) “the considerable damage” in Rotterdam and said that “the extreme violence against the police, riot police and firefighters was something horrible to see”. “Police and prosecutors are doing everything possible to locate, prosecute and punish these troublemakers.” Local police reported on Twitter the opening of an investigation.
Due to the violence recorded on Friday, a demonstration scheduled for the following day in Amsterdam was canceled by the organizers. “Last night hell broke out in Rotterdam,” the organization United We Stand Europe said on Facebook. Another event is scheduled for this Saturday in the city of Breda, in the south of the country, “with more security measures”, according to the organizers.
Last Saturday (13), police detained 15 people in the north of the country after clashes broke out between security forces and hundreds of protesters against restrictions on the opening hours of bars due to the pandemic. At least one police car was set on fire during the protest, a police spokesman told the AFP news agency.
A day earlier, when the new restrictive measures were announced, protesters in The Hague clashed with police, who used a water cannon to disperse the crowd.
The Netherlands re-implemented restrictions after a new increase in Covid-19 cases. More than 21,000 new infections were registered this Friday. As part of the new measures, the population was recommended to work remotely, unless it was absolutely necessary to leave the house.
Public events have also been suspended, and the football tournament is played behind closed doors. Schools, however, remain open, and there is no impediment for people to leave their homes.
In addition to the Netherlands, acts against anti-Covid measures have also been filed in Australia and the French Antilles. In Australia, 10,000 people gathered on Saturday in Sydney to oppose vaccination, police said. Mandatory immunization is only required in some states and territories for certain professional groups. In the country, around 85% of the population over 16 years of age is fully vaccinated.
Thousands of people also protested in Melbourne, and around 2,000 attended a counter-demonstration in support of measures to combat the pandemic.
On the island of Guadeloupe, in the French Antilles, a group of unions and civic organizations has been mobilizing for four days against the health pass and the mandatory vaccination of health professionals. This Friday, a demonstration ended in violence. In the town of Pointe-Ã -Pitre, which has many wooden houses, four buildings caught fire and, on the roads, some protesters confronted police with stones.
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