2,000 protest in Dutch city over virus lockdown
SOME 2,000 people gathered in The Hague on Sunday to protest against the Dutch government and its coronavirus lockdown.
Several people carried a homemade banner with the words “Love & Freedom: No Dictatorship” written on it in Dutch, while many others carried yellow umbrellas.
Another demonstrator carried a makeshift set of stocks with a photo of Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s head stuck in the middle and a sign saying: “If you love the Netherlands, vote them out.”
A heavy police presence ringed the park where the demonstrators gathered, and police tweeted before the scheduled start of the event that the maximum number of participants had already been reached. Hundreds more people arrived after the tweet.
Although the protest was generally peaceful, police tweeted that they had arrested one man for attacking an officer with a stick.
Trains heading to The Hague were halted to prevent more people making their way to the city.
Smaller demonstrations have taken place in Amsterdam in recent weeks, with riot police repeatedly called in to disperse protesters who refuse to leave.
They reflect a growing impatience among a small section of society at the lockdown that has seen businesses including bars, restaurants and museums shut down since mid-October.
Despite the lockdown, numbers of infections remain stubbornly high, and more than 16,000 people are confirmed to have died with Covid-19 in the Netherlands. Meanwhile, party leaders took to the airwaves to seek the support of undecided voters but also to start jockeying for position ahead of the formation of the country’s next governing coalition.
In a television talk show airing yesterday evening on national broadcaster NPO1, Christian Democrat leader Wopke Hoekstra said he would prefer to continue ruling in the outgoing four-party coalition led by Mr Rutte, inset. Mr Rutte said in turn that the Christian Democrats were the most natural partner for his conservative People’s Party for Freedom of Democracy.
“This is a real bromance,” Jesse Klaver, leader of the Green Left party, said.
The comments foreshadow what could be a lengthy process of forming the next coalition after three days of voting wraps up on Wednesday night.