Netherlands: Amidst a COVID lockdown, violent protests erupt

Protests in Rotterdam on Friday, November 19, turned violent as the first week of the three week partial lockdown came to a close. Protestors became violent with wide spread property destruction occurring. The Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of Rotterdam, said it was an “orgy of violence. Police used water cannons and fired live-round warning shots in the air, as 20 were arrested for the violence. Dutch police reported that at least seven people were injured.

The Netherlands went into a partial three-week lockdown on 13 November. Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte in announcing the lockdown noted how “The virus is everywhere and needs to be combated everywhere.”

Dutch justice minister, Ferd Grapperhaus, said via a statement, “The riots and extreme violence against police officers, riot police and firefighters last night in Rotterdam are disgusting to see. Protesting is a great right in our society, but what we saw last night is simply criminal behavior. It has nothing to do with demonstrating.”

Today’s protest planned in Amsterdam against the lockdown has been canceled, according to organizers. Meanwhile, protests in other cities are expected to occur, including Breda. Reuters reports the Breda protest will be a “musical DJs” called by the DJs in Breda.

The partial lockdown restricts the hours of various business to include, restaurants, bars, and non-essential businesses.

More than 80 percent of the country has been vaccinated, which Rutte noted was the reason the country’ medical system was not been overwhelmed. He is looking to parliament for means to restrict access to indoor venues for the unvaccinated.

Many European countries are seeing a severe influx of COVID infections and hospitalizations. In some areas of Germany, hospitals are overwhelmed and patients are being transported to other countries for treatment. Austria went into a three-week lock down as infections soared.

Securely Travel advice: Defer travel to The Netherlands, if possible, during the period of escalating COVID infections. The lockdown is expected to continue through early-December.