OTTERLO, Netherlands (AP) – Police in Amsterdam aimed a water cannon at hundreds of protesters who took part in a banned protest against the Dutch government and its harsh coronavirus lockdown on Sunday.
Police on horseback also moved in to break the demonstration in a large square surrounded by museums, including the Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum.
The city of Amsterdam said riot police have taken action to disperse the crowd because people were not adhering to social distance measures.
“Because of the danger to public health, it is important that everyone adheres to the applicable measures. The protesters do not do that, ”the municipality said in a tweet.
By mid-afternoon, apart from dozens of policemen, the square was empty, although a few protesters remained on the streets nearby.
The demonstration was banned earlier this week due to fears that too many people would attend and disregard social aloofness.
The Amsterdam protest took place when ministers of the Dutch transitional government met in The Hague to discuss options to stem the spread of the coronavirus, including the possibility of imposing a curfew for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
The government resigned on Friday after publishing a damning report on a scandal in which thousands of parents were falsely labeled by tax officials as fraudsters, but ministers will remain in power until a new coalition is formed after the March 17 general election.