Amsterdam: Over two dozen people were arrested in Amsterdam during a protest against COVID-19 restrictions; four law enforcement officers were injured, the Dutch police informs.
Thousands of Dutch protesters, unhappy with the new COVID-19 lockdown, defied a ban on gatherings on Sunday and organised a demonstration in Museum Square despite an order from Mayor Femke Halsema who declared the area off-limits to the public.
The Dutch police said in a statement after the protest that, at the mayor’s request, law enforcement officers intervened and “a total of 30 suspects were arrested.”
The arrests were made for public order violations, assault and weapon possession, according to the police. Four police officers were injured in clashes with the demonstrators.
Earlier on Sunday, a Sputnik correspondent reported that clashes with riot police erupted in Amsterdam as some of the protesters tried to veer off the main street as they marched through the Dutch capital.
The Netherlands went into another lockdown on December 19, closing cafes, bars, restaurants, museums, theaters, sports venues and all but essential stores in a bid to limit the accelerating spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
