HAGUE (Reuters) – Dutch riot police used water cannons and batons on Sunday to disperse a crowd of thousands of anti-blockade protesters gathered in the center of The Hague a day before the national elections.
Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck. Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck.
Police said they had arrested 20 people and two protesters had been injured by police dogs after refusing to leave.
Police fired a warning shot when protesters kicked a police dog and threatened the dog’s manager during an arrest, according to a police statement.
Dutch authorities had stopped train services in the city, the seat of government, to prevent more protesters from arriving.
Many of the crowd, gathered in Maliveld’s central camp in the city, held yellow umbrellas in demonstration of opposition and sang “Love, freedom, stop the dictatorship.”
The Netherlands has been under heavy closure since late January, with meetings of more than two people banned, restaurants and bars closed and the first night curfew since World War II.
Voting in the national elections will begin on Monday, with voting open for three days to help ensure social distancing from polling stations. Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s Conservative VVD party looks set to secure a new four-year term after being in power since 2010.
Most voters reluctantly support the blockade, given the current rate of coronavirus infection in the Netherlands, which is approaching the high end of the European range.
But the curfew, which has lasted until the end of March, sparked several days of unrest across the country when it was first imposed on January 23rd.
The 17 million country has recorded more than 1.1 million cases of COVID-19 and more than 16,000 pandemic deaths.
Johnny Cotton Reports; Written by Anthony Deutsch. Edited by Jane Merriman