Dutch police fire warning shots at Covid ‘riots’, causing injuries

Dutch police fired warning shots on Friday after riots erupted in the port city of Rotterdam against a partial coronavirus lockdown, causing an unknown number of injuries, local police said.

Police also fired water cannon to disperse demonstrators who lit fires and set off fireworks in one of Rotterdam’s main shopping streets, one week after the new Covid-19 measures came into force.

“A demonstration that started tonight at 8 pm on the Coolsingel has resulted in riots. Fires have been set in several places. Fireworks were set off and police fired several warning shots,” Rotterdam police said in a statement.

“There are injuries related to the fired shots.”

Police said that riot police later launched charges at the demonstrators, adding: “The water launcher has been deployed.”

Rotterdam’s busy main railway station had been closed as a result of the disturbances.

The Netherlands went back into Western Europe’s first partial lockdown of the winter last Saturday with the government announcing at least three weeks of curbs on restaurants, shops and sporting events.

Hundreds of demonstrators clashed with police in The Hague after the measures were announced on November 12.