Warning shots fired as unrest breaks out over Dutch plans to restrict access for unvaccinated people to some venues
Police in Rotterdam have fired warning shots, injuring protesters, as riots broke out in central Rotterdam at a demonstration against government plans to restrict access for unvaccinated people to some venues.
Police said in a tweet that “there are injuries in connection with the shots” during the violent unrest on Friday night. Riot police used a water cannon in an attempt to drive hundreds of rioters from a central street in the port city.
Photos in Dutch media showed at least one police car ablaze and another with a bicycle smashed through the windscreen.
Police said in a tweet that rioters started fires and threw fireworks. Authorities closed the city’s main railway station, they said.
Local media said gangs of soccer hooligans were involved in the rioting.
The government has said it wants to introduce a law that would allow businesses to restrict the country’s coronavirus pass system to people who are fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19, which would exclude people who test negative.
The country has seen a string of record numbers of infections in recent days and a new partial lockdown came into force a week ago. Cases are also rising across Europe, thanks to a combination of low vaccine uptake, waning immunity among people inoculated early, and growing complacency about masks and distancing after governments relaxed curbs over the summer. ...
Reposted from
merelygifted