Protests Against COVID-19 Lockdown Measures Continue Across Netherlands - Reports

Muhammad Irfan Published January 26, 2021 | 04:50 AM

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th January, 2021) Protests over coronavirus restrictions continued in a number of Dutch cities for the third day in a row on Monday, at least 70 people have been detained, according to local media reports.

"Things were relatively quiet until 7.30 pm [18:30 GMT on Monday], but then all hell broke lose," police chief Willem Woelders told current affairs program Nieuwsuur, as quoted by Dutch news.

According to Woelders, police used tear gas against protesters in Haarlem and Rotterdam. A total of at least 70 people have been arrested across the country.

Amsterdam police said on Twitter that 9 arrests were made in the capital on Monday.

"We remain in attendance to enforce curfews," the city police said.

On Sunday, 190 protesters were detained in Amsterdam. According to city authorities, about 1,500 people participated in the Sunday protest against the coronavirus restrictions.

The Netherlands entered a full lockdown on December 15, which will remain in place until February 9, ordering all non-grocery and non-essential shops to close, shutting down all cafes, museums, theaters, pools, gyms, barber shops and other public venues.

On Monday, Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte slammed the violent protests held across the Netherlands against a new evening curfew aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus disease.