URK, The Netherlands (AP) – Young riot police protesting the first night of a Dutch curfew set fire to a coronavirus testing facility and threw fireworks at police in a Dutch fishing village.
Police said Sunday they fined more than 3,600 people across the country for violating the curfew that ran from 9pm on Saturday to 4.30am on Sunday and arrested 25 people for breaching the curfew. remains or by violence.
The video of the village of Urk, 80 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of Amsterdam, showed young people breaking into the coronavirus testing facility near the village harbor before it caught fire on Saturday. at night.
Police and the municipality issued a statement on Sunday expressing their anger at the riots, “from throwing fireworks and stones to destroying police cars and with the torch of the test site as a deep point.”
“This is not only unacceptable, but also a slap in the face, especially for local health authority staff who do everything they can at the testing center to help the people of Urk,” local authorities said, adding that the curfew would be strictly applied the rest of the week.
On Sunday, all that was left of the portable building that was used to administer coronavirus tests was a burned shell.
Amsterdam police were also preparing another protest on Sunday and sending officers to a square where protesters clashed with police a week ago. The city council designated the plaza as a “risk zone,” a move that gave police additional powers to curb people.
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Associated Press writer Mike Corder contributed from Otterlo, the Netherlands.
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