Willem Engel (third from left, front row), a member of the protest group Viruswaarheid, waits with two lawyers (first and second from left, front row) at the Court of Appeal for a decision on February 16, 2021, in The Hague, Netherlands, after the government asked the court to lift the curfew suspension.
A court in The Hague ruled on Tuesday (Feb. 16) that the curfew violated people’s freedom of movement and assembly and must be withdrawn.
The Dutch government was scheduled to implement the curfew from January 23, and lasted until March 2. Curfew Time is 9:00 p.m. every day to 4:30 a.m. the next day, violating the curfew order and unauthorized access, may be fined 95 euros. But after the curfew was imposed, many people took to the streets to protest, especially a group called “Viruswaarheid” (Virus Truth) vigorously opposed to the curfew.
On February 16, a court in The Hague ruled that the Dutch government must withdraw the curfew because the executive’s curfew measures lacked legal basis and were not authorized by parliament, which would infringe on people’s freedom of movement and assembly. The Dutch government appealed the decision, and the Court of Appeal decided to temporarily maintain the curfew until Friday, when it will rule again.
This is the first time since the Second World War that a national curfew has been imposed in the Netherlands, which has triggered protests and riots in the streets.
A police car patrols the streets of Amsterdam, Netherlands, Feb. 16, 2021, as the government imposes a curfew to stop the spread of the Chinese Communist virus.
A police car is parked on the street as the government imposes a curfew to stop the spread of the Chinese Communist virus in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Feb. 16, 2021.
Police patrol and check citizens outside the Van Gogh Museum during a curfew imposed by the government to stop the spread of the Chinese Communist virus in Amsterdam, Netherlands, February 16, 2021.
Police talk to a citizen on a bicycle during a curfew imposed by the government to stop the spread of the Chinese communist virus in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Feb. 16, 2021.
Two policemen patrol the streets on horseback as the government imposes a curfew to stop the spread of the Chinese Communist virus in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Feb. 16, 2021.
The streets are empty at night as the government imposes a curfew to stop the spread of the Chinese Communist virus in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Feb. 16, 2021.
Police patrol Het Plein Square and check people during curfew hours in order to stop the spread of the Chinese Communist virus in The Hague, Netherlands, Feb. 16, 2021.
Willem Engel, a member of the protest group Viruswaarheid against the government curfew, is interviewed by the media on February 16, 2021 in The Hague, Netherlands.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte (R) and Security and Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhaus arrive at the Court of Appeal in The Hague to hear a ruling on the government-imposed curfew case in The Hague, Netherlands, Feb. 16, 2021.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte (R) and Security and Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhaus hold a press conference in The Hague, Netherlands, Feb. 16, 2021, to hear a ruling by a court in The Hague that the curfew should be lifted immediately, partly because of insufficient legal grounds.
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