Violence broke out and left seven injured on Friday, November 19 in the evening in the Netherlands during a demonstration against health restrictions in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The police opened fire on the rioters.
The anti-health pass demonstration degenerated into violent clashes on Friday, November 19 in the evening. Cars were set on fire and protesters threw stones at the police who retaliated with water cannons and performing warning shots and “also direct fire because the situation was life threatening,” police spokeswoman Patricia Wessels told Reuters.
“We know that at least seven people were injured, probably because of warning shots, but we need to investigate the exact causes more, “she added.
Several hundred people gathered to protest against the government’s plan to limit access to public places to people with a health pass.
The Netherlands reinstated containment measures a week ago for an initial period of three weeks in order to stem a new wave of contamination by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
“An orgy of violence”
The mayor of Rotterdam, Ahmed Aboutaleb, condemned “an orgy of violence”. Authorities say they have arrested more than 20 people and expect more arrests, with numerous surveillance cameras crisscrossing Rotterdam city center where the riots took place.
Dutch Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhaus said in a statement that the “extreme violence” against the police and firefighters in Rotterdam was “disgusting”. “The right to protest is very important in our society, but what we saw last night was quite simply a criminal behavior“, added the Minister.
Several hundred people gathered to protest against the government’s plan to limit access to public places to people with a health pass.
The Netherlands reimposed some containment measures a week ago for an initial period of three weeks in order to slow the new epidemic wave.
