Thousands of people, some throwing fireworks and rocks, joined an unauthorized protest against the Dutch government’s coronavirus restrictions in Amsterdam on Sunday, and riot police used water cannons, batons, attack dogs and horses to disperse the crowd.
About 100 were arrested, according to local media.
The protest came two days after Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his cabinet resigned over how the Dutch tax authority treated innocent people involved in a child benefit scandal.
Protesters gathered in a central square full of landmarks, including the Van Gogh Museum and the American Consulate, and waved signs saying “dictatorship”, “Freedom” and “We are Holland”
Videos showed that no one wore a mask – although this is not mandatory in the Netherlands outdoors – and no one maintained social distance, one of the main health measures advised by the Dutch authorities.
Like most of Europe, the Netherlands is in a blockade, in this case at least until February 9. Infections are high, but decreasing slightly, with about 34 cases of coronavirus per 100,000 inhabitants.
Those protesting the pandemic restrictions are a relatively small, but vocal, circle of groups and individuals, and target Mr. Rutte and his policies, as well as established media organizations. Like the Trump loyalists who invaded the United States Capitol, they believe the system needs to be eradicated.
“These people live in their own truth, with their own news and reality,” said Hans Nijenhuis, editor-in-chief at The Algemeen Dagblad, the most widely circulated newspaper in the Netherlands. “As we’ve seen in the United States, we can’t just ignore your discontent.”
A Sunday protest request from Michel Reijinga, which brought supporters on Facebook, was rejected by authorities, who cited a ban on all demonstrations to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Despite this, thousands gathered in the Museumplein square, inciting the mayor of Amsterdam, the police and the Dutch prosecutor’s office send the riot police.
There were several protests in the Netherlands during the pandemic against blockades and other pandemic measures, but there were also others in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
On Sunday, some protesters spoke frustrated about the restrictions.
“We want to celebrate and go to the clubs, we are so tired of all these measures”, a younger woman could be heard on the live broadcast of a new Dutch broadcaster, Ongehoord Nederland.
The channel, which describes itself as providing “patriotic angles to the news”, recently reached the threshold for access to subsidized Dutch public television by having 60,000 people registered as paid members.
“The mainstream media is saying that these people are silly and crazy, but a demonstration like this is a sign of broader dissatisfaction,” said Arnold Karskens, the channel’s managing director.
Karskens, who also opposed the ban on Black Pete, a controversial traditional Dutch figure with a black face, said: “The truth is that people are tired of the measures of the coronavirus. They feel that there is no end in sight. “