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Protests have turned violent in cities across the Netherlands, as the nation's new coronavirus restrictions give way to growing unrest. Videos circulating on social media throughout Monday showed fires burning in Amsterdam and Rotterdam while protesters clashed with local law enforcement.
Police in Rotterdam, a prominent port city and the Netherlands' second-most populous region, used tear gas and a water cannon to disperse crowds. According to the agency, officers also fired a warning shot earlier in the evening, during a confrontation with civilians. Footage of the rioting in Rotterdam saw a building, which appeared to be police station, and pair of parked vehicles set aflame by explosives. Several reports additionally noted that business establishments were looted amid the disorder. Police arrested an estimated 20 people throughout the night.
Roughly 50 miles away, in Amsterdam, police arrested 9 people on Monday, in connection with a large fire that sparked during similar discord occurring in the Netherlands' capital. The city's police department previously reported other incidents, including damages to officers' vehicles after individuals threw stones at their cars, on Saturday and Sunday night.
Destructive gatherings have taken place in various Dutch cities for days, originating as acts of protest against the country's recently implemented COVID-19 mitigation measures. Last week, the Netherlands' acting prime minister, Mark Rutte, announced a nationwide curfew, which ultimately became effective on Saturday night. It is slated to remain in place through February 10.
The curfew prevents all residents from remaining outside of their homes between 9 p.m. and. 4:30 a.m. nightly, and comes as part of the Dutch government's effort to combat further spread of COVID-19. People are still permitted to leave their residences during those hours for essential purposes, although they are required to complete an official exemption form in order to do so.
"The idea behind the night-time curfew is that people will visit of met up with each other less often," Dutch government officials noted in a statement explaining the curfew's terms. Acknowledging that the measure will likely help to reduce COVID-19 transmission, it went on to note that "the government is gravely concerned" about the virus spread, particularly in light of emerging variants that are believed to be more contagious than those already identified.
As of Monday, Dutch officials have not reported cases of mutated COVID-19 strains within the country, although neighboring nations, like the United Kingdom, have recorded dozens over the past month.
Newsweek reached out to the Netherlands police for further comment but did not receive a reply in time for publication.
