covid lockdown restrictions. trouble flared in several cities and towns with a number of injuries and arrests. the netherlands went into partial lockdown a week ago and is planning to ban unvaccinated people from some venues. anna holligan reports. another night of restlessness. responding to calls on social media, groups gathered in the hague and pelted police with rocks and fireworks. an emergency order was imposed and enforced. at least 19 people were detained. these small, explosive demos are being held in the context of growing frustration about the current and possible future covid restrictions, but the dutchjustice minister made a distinction between the largely peaceful protests and what was simply criminal behaviour. translation: these are not - demonstrations, these are attacks on police and firefighters.
to ventilation and finally to new treatment protocols which have to be standardised. with varying vaccine rates and high degrees of hesitancy, getting the jabs in may be part of the solution but cannot cure the wider distrust and division exacerbated by the virus. and, today, the dutchjustice minister ferd grapperhaus said he believes covid is being used as a cover, an excuse for this extreme violence. he said a lot of it was being orchestrated by organised criminals. he did acknowledge that there was a growing mistrust of the government but said that his being twisted and manipulated by these very small groups to allow people, or encourage and galvanise people to attack firefighters and police, as we have seen in multiple dutch cities over the last few days. and