The Hague, Netherlands (AP) – Dutch police used a water cannon and officers on horseback galloped through a park in The Hague on Sunday to stop a protest against the government and its blockade by coronavirus on the eve of three days of voting in the general election.
The Hague police tweeted that it deployed riot officers to stop the protest after hundreds of people challenged repeated calls to return home. Previously, they arrested a man for attacking a police officer with a stick.
An unknown number of protesters were arrested while the police dispersed the demonstration. An AP photographer saw a police dog bite a man when he was arrested by police with batons.
Before the police ended the protest, several people carried a homemade banner with the Dutch text “Love and freedom: without dictatorship”. Many others held yellow umbrellas, which people who have participated in protests against the blockade in recent weeks have often carried.
Another protester carried an improvised set of actions with a photo of Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s head stuck in the middle and a sign saying: “If you love the Netherlands, vote outside”.
The police tweeted before the scheduled start of the event that the maximum number of participants had already been reached. Hundreds of people arrived after the tweet, which caused authorities to stop trains bound for The Hague to prevent more people from reaching the city.
In the past few weeks, minor demonstrations have taken place in Amsterdam, with riot troops repeatedly called on to ward off protesters who refuse to leave.
They reflect a growing impatience among a small segment of society with the blockade that has caused companies like bars, restaurants and museums to close since mid-October. Despite the blockade, the number of infections remains stubbornly high. More than 16,000 people died of COVID-19 in the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, party leaders resorted to radio waves to seek the support of undecided voters, but also to start competing for positions before the formation of the country’s next governing coalition.
On a television talk show that airs on Sunday night on the national broadcaster NPO1, Christian Democratic leader Wopke Hoekstra said he would rather continue to govern in the four-party coalition led by Rutte.
Rutte, for his part, said that Christian Democrats are the most natural partner of his conservative People’s Party for Freedom of Democracy.
“This is a real bromance,” said Jesse Klaver, leader of the Green Left party.
The comments foreshadow what could be a long process of forming the next coalition after three days of voting affected by the coronavirus on Wednesday night.
A record 37 parties are participating in the election for the 150 seats in the lower house of Parliament. The party that wins the most seats will be the first in line to lead the negotiations to form the next coalition, but with so many parties likely to enter Parliament, it can be difficult to form a coalition that brings together the majority.
If, as polls predict, Rutte’s party emerges with the largest number of seats, he would be in a position to form his fourth governing coalition and become the Netherlands’ longest-serving prime minister.
A limited number of polling stations are opening Monday and Tuesday, mainly to allow people considered vulnerable to the coronavirus to vote. Wednesday is the main voting day and the results are likely to be known on Wednesday night and Thursday.