Dutch police dispersed thousands of anti-lockdown protesters outside The Hague on Sunday, the day before national elections began in the country.
Reuters reports that the police used truncheons and water cannons to disperse the crowd that, according to officials, were ignoring the rules of social distance and also the authorities’ warnings.
Twenty people were arrested, officials said, and two people were injured by police dogs after they refused to leave the area.
Many of those who gathered in the crowd held yellow umbrellas and opposing posters that said, “Love, freedom, end the dictatorship,” according to Reuters.
Police use water cannons and batons to prevent anti-block protest ahead of elections in the Netherlands https://t.co/1GSLiJMb3G pic.twitter.com/nL9lNWJS4u
– Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 14, 2021
Despite the protest, the media notes that the majority of Dutch voters support the blockade, as the rate of coronavirus infection in the Netherlands is at the upper limit of European countries.
The country has been under intense blockade since January, Reuters notes, with meetings of more than two people banned and the first night curfew issued since World War II. When the blockade was extended, it sparked several days of unrest across the country.
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Netherlands confirmed more than 1.1 million cases of coronavirus and more than 16,000 related deaths.
The Dutch national election starts on Mondays, with the ballot boxes set for the next three days. Reuters notes that Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s party, the conservative People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), is looking for another four years after the 2010 victory.