Two people were shot and 6 injured after the Dutch police opened fire at an anti-lockdown demonstration that turned into a riot in Rotterdam on Friday, November 18 night. The city's mayor termed it as an 'orgy of violence.' Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb informed reporters that the police had to draw their weapons in self-defense as rioters set fires in buildings and threw rocks and fireworks at officers, AP reported.
Police have confirmed 7 injuries so far including officers. Video from social media shown on Dutch broadcaster NOS showed two people being shot. Officers, however, said in a tweet they had no information about how or by whom two people were shot during the chaos. Officers have arrested a bunch of people in connection with violent protests and more arrests are expected, Aboutaleb noted.
The protests come after the government in the Netherlands re-imposed some lockdown measures last week in the wake of the resurgence of Coronavirus infections in the country. The scenes in Rotterdam reflect most of the continent's response to similar restrictions imposed in countries like Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic among many more. Around 10,000 protestors are expected to take part in anti-lockdown demonstrations in Vienna on Saturday, November 20.
Violent protests
One of Rotterdam's main shopping streets saw a gathering of thousands of people to take part in protests against the partial lockdown imposed by the government. The crowd is said to have lit fires and set off fireworks. The police fired water cannons and warning shots to disseminate the crowd. However, it is not clear if live ammunition or rubber bullets were fired. One eyewitness told the local media that shell casings could be seen scattered everywhere on the floor.
At least one police car, several electric scooters, and other items were set on fire during the protest, a police spokesman told AFP. The spokesperson further confirmed police fired shots. However, it was not clear what kind of shots were fired. Police spokesperson Patricia Wessels confirmed that police fired shots, though it was not immediately clear what type of rounds were fired. "We fired warning shots and there were also direct shots fired because the situation was life-threatening," she said.
'Disgusting'
Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhaus condemned the violence against the police officers during the protests and called it 'disgusting'. "Protesting is a great right in our society, but what we saw last night is simply criminal behavior," he said. The chaos that unfolded in Rotterdam was one of the worst episodes of violence in the Netherlands since the COVID restrictions were first imposed last year. Protestors attacked police and set fires on the streets after a curfew was imposed in Rotterdam in January.
