- When Dutch mobs swept through Dutch cities, more than 100 people were arrested in three nights of violence.
- People protested the government’s plan to ban unvaccinated people from entering public places.
- The Dutch prime minister called the violent protesters idiots.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Monday lashed out at the “idiot” thugs who were raging in cities across the Netherlands this weekend when protests against the coronavirus policy turned into violence.
More than 100 people were arrested in the violence on three nights and the police opened fire on the rioters in Rotterdam on Friday.
“This is pure violence disguised as a protest,” Rutte said in response to the worst riot since the total blockade in January caused widespread chaos.
There is a lot of turmoil in society because we have been dealing with the pain of corona for a long time. But I will never accept that idiots use pure violence just because they are unhappy.
After dozens of arrests in the previous two days, about 30 people were arrested on Sunday because angry young mobs set fire and threw stones.
Groups dressed in black threw stones at the police car. In The Hague, a stone was thrown out of the windshield of an ambulance trying to take the patient to the hospital.
The violence began in Rotterdam on Friday night as protests against the government’s plan to ban most unvaccinated people from entering public places quickly turned into violence.
Although the Netherlands re-imposed some lockdown measures on November 13, the number of infections increased sharply.
Watch | The Netherlands is shocked on the second night of the Covid riots
This has forced Dutch hospitals to reduce conventional treatment and put pressure on the government to ensure that all emergency cases are treated.
The Dutch Association of Medical Workers V&VN warned that the Netherlands is heading for the worst, that is, hospitals do not have enough intensive care beds for every patient in need.
Dutch health authorities reported more than 23,000 new coronavirus infections in 24 hours on Monday, the second highest number since the pandemic began.
Health Minister Hugo De Jonge emphasized that the country is “far away from the worst.” However, if the number of infections and hospitalizations continues to rise, the government will consider more restrictive measures.
