Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte denounced those who turned to “pure violence” during three consecutive nights of anti-blockade protests as “idiots.” Netherlands.
Rutte told the Dutch media that their actions “have nothing to do with the demonstration,” but “an outbreak of violence purely against our police, firefighters and ambulance drivers.”
Since the violence in the port city of Rotterdam on Friday, at least 130 people have been arrested, four people have been injured, and several policemen have been injured.
Rutte, who leads the caretaker government, said that as part of Dutch democracy and the rule of law, he will always fight for the right to demonstrate, “But what I will never accept is that idiots use pure violence against people who work for you and I fight every day… Protect the security of this country under the guise of’we are not satisfied’.”
After a surge in cases, the Netherlands tightened restrictions on the coronavirus last week because The number of infections is rising across Europe Prompt the government to take stricter measures.
The Rutte government is facing calls from opposition politicians to take further measures, either banning unvaccinated people from entering bars and restaurants, or closing all non-essential shops and other places.
In Rotterdam last Friday, hundreds of mobs set fire to cars and threw stones at police The mayor of the city called it a “violent carnival”On Saturday night, protesters set fires in The Hague and other cities, including an elementary school in Roosendaal in southern Holland. On Sunday, demonstrators moved out in the northern cities of Groningen and Leeuwarden, Enschede in the east and Tilburg in the south, where they threw fireworks and destroyed property.
exist Belgium After peaceful demonstrations against coronavirus restrictions turned into violence, politicians condemned the violence in Brussels.
The Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden said: “A mature democracy respects the opinions of the minority, but does not accept the minority’s use of force to abuse their protest vote. Whether to vaccinate: It is important that we continue to follow these measures. Only by uniting, we In order to win the fight against the virus.”
The police estimated that 35,000 demonstrators gathered in the Belgian capital to oppose the Covid Safe Pass. The app showcases the vaccine and recovery status, which is essential to enter bars and restaurants. But many people want to express their dissatisfaction with Covid’s restrictions more broadly, which were tightened last week as the number of infections increased.
Local media reported on different groups of demonstrators, including the far-right, those who support anti-vaccination conspiracy theories and anti-Semitism, and those who oppose vaccination who seem to be politically indifferent, including entire families.
daily newspaper The report said that medical staff stood side by side with those who had Jewish stars on their clothes in protest against what they called the Nazi regime. It also reported the attendance of anti-vaccine, anti-mask, Dutch-speaking “free teachers” organizations, and members of parliament from the Flemish far-right party Vlaams Belang.
Tina Cleybergh, a nursery nurse, told the newspaper that she participated in the protest because the Covid Pass had created a division in society and that “unvaccinated people felt labeled as criminals”.
Some protesters expressed concern that the peaceful assembly they had planned to conduct would be infiltrated by troublemakers.
A police spokesperson told standard Many instigators are “rogues” that law enforcement agencies already know. The spokesperson said that the crowd is diverse: “What they have in common is their distrust of institutions and politics, especially in the field of coronavirus.”
Police used high-pressure water cannons and tear gas to disperse violent protesters gathered near the EU headquarters, where they threw firecrackers, smashed cars and set fire to trash cans. The police arrested at least 45 people, two of whom were suspected of armed rebellion. Three policemen and one protester were injured and taken to the hospital.
The violence reignited the Belgian debate on mandatory vaccination, an idea that split the seven-party ruling coalition.
On Monday, Pierre-Yves Demagne, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Socialist Party and Minister of Economy, said it was necessary to restart the discussion. “We must have this debate because we know that we will coexist with this virus for months or even years. We cannot limit ourselves to short-term measures.”
Last week, the Belgian liberal Prime Minister Alexander De Croo regarded the mandatory Covid jab as a “wrong good idea”, saying it was difficult in practice and more effective in persuading people.
The government has faced strong opposition to mandatory Covid injections by medical staff. On Monday, about 50 people protested the recently agreed policy outside a hospital in the eastern town of Libramont.
From January 1st, all healthcare workers in Belgium must be vaccinated against the coronavirus, otherwise they will face layoffs.
