OTTERLO, The Netherlands (AP) – Amsterdam police fired a water cannon at hundreds of protesters who took part in a banned protest on Sunday against the Dutch government and its harsh coronavirus blockade.
Police on horseback also moved to break up the demonstration in a large square surrounded by museums, including the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum.
The Amsterdam municipality said riot police took steps to disperse the crowd so people would not adhere to social distancing measures.
“Because of the danger to public health, it is important that everyone adheres to the measures in place. Protesters do not,” the municipality said in a tweet.
By mid-afternoon, the square was empty apart from dozens of police, although some protesters remained in the nearby streets.
The demonstration had been banned earlier in the week due to fears that too many people would attend and that they would not adhere to social distancing.
The protest in Amsterdam came as Dutch interim government ministers met in The Hague to discuss options to curb the spread of the coronavirus, including the possibility of imposing a curfew for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.
The government resigned on Friday after the publication of a condemnatory report on a scandal in which thousands of parents were falsely labeled as swindlers by tax officials, but ministers remain in power until a new coalition is formed after the March 17 general election.