The Netherlands has imposed its first national curfew since World War II in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus in response to the new pneumonia Epidemic. Anti-curfew demonstrations broke out in many parts of the country on Sunday (24), but they turned into riots and clashes between police and civilians, with arson and looting, and at least 240 people arrested. Some mayors have said that if the situation continues, the country will face civil war.
At least 10 cities, including Amsterdam, Eindhoven, The Hague, Breda, Arnhem, Tilburg and Enschede, broke out in riots, with Amsterdam and Eindhoven in the most chaotic situation. In the fishing village of Urk, 80 kilometers to the northeast, a new coronavirus testing facility near the harbor was set on fire by a group of youths on Saturday night (23).
Demonstrators, including members of anti-immigration groups, gathered in the square near the train station in Eindhoven and threw stones, bicycles and broken glass, while some of the cars and stores at the station were set on fire and looted. Police used tear gas and water cannons to clear the area and arrested at least 55 people. Mayor John Jorritsma (John Jorritsma) fears that the situation is getting out of hand, “We are heading for civil war.”
The Netherlands imposed a curfew on Saturday, from 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m., and so far 3,600 people have received citations for violating the curfew. The government condemned the protesters’ violence, denouncing it as a purely criminal act, not a protest against epidemic prevention measures; it also mentioned the attack on the testing facility, describing it as a slap on the face to the facility’s medical staff.
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