Several cities in the Netherlands were the scene of riots on Monday, for the second night in a row, after a curfew was imposed this weekend to fight the pandemic.
Read also: Covid-19: clashes with the police on the sidelines of anti-curfew protests in the Netherlands
Clashes pitted riot police, who used water cannons, against groups of protesters in the port city of Rotterdam, as well as in the small town of Geleen (South), near Maastricht, the report said. police and media.
"
A confrontation is underway between riot police and young people throwing fireworks at them,
" Geleen police said in a tweet.
“
One person was arrested
”.
The mayor of Rotterdam, Ahmed Aboutaleb, issued a decree authorizing the police to increase arrests.
"
Arrests have taken place,
" Rotterdam city hall said in a tweet.
"
It is urged to leave the premises
".
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Mark Rutte condemned "
the criminal violence
" of the first riots, which took place on Sunday, saying they were "
the worst riots in forty years
".
Police arrested 250 people on Sunday during protests in Amsterdam, Eindhoven and other cities, local media said.
“
It has nothing to do with the struggle for freedom.
We don't take all of these steps for fun.
We are doing it because we are fighting the virus and it is for the moment the virus which takes our freedom
”, added the Prime Minister, estimating that“
99%
”of the Dutch support the restrictions.
The Netherlands began its first curfew since World War II on Saturday.
It is forbidden to leave your home between 9 p.m. and 4:30 a.m., at least until February 9.
Any offender incurs a fine of 95 euros.
The Prime Minister said on Wednesday that the decision to institute a curfew had been bolstered by the spread of the British variant of the coronavirus.
