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In the Netherlands, a nighttime curfew went into effect on Saturday in a bid to rein in COVID-19.

The locals didn’t take kindly to this measure, which has been implemented in countries all over the world, including our own, to try and curb the spread of the virus.

According to Worldometer, the Netherlands has recorded upwards of 952 950 cases of the virus since the start of the outbreak, with 13 579 deaths reported at the time of writing.

The protests have continued since they kicked off over the weekend, reports BBC.

The cities of Amsterdam, as well as Rotterdam, Amersfoort, and Geleen, have been overrun with violent demonstrations.

Fires were lit on the streets of The Hague, where police on bicycles attempted to move small clusters of men who threw rocks and fireworks, the BBC’s Anna Holligan reports from the city.

A COVID-19 testing centre was set alight in the northern village of Urk.

Police in Amsterdam and Rotterdam used water cannons to disperse protesters, while cars and other things were burnt and shops looted, across the country:

More chaos:

Check out some of the damage done so far:

Over 250 arrests have been made, with Prime Minister Mark Rutte condemning what he calls “criminal violence”.

“It’s unacceptable. All normal people will regard this with horror,” the prime minister told reporters.

“What motivated these people has nothing to do with protesting, it’s criminal violence and we will treat it as such.”

The Dutch government has recently introduced some of its toughest lockdown measures since the pandemic took hold, including a curfew that runs from 9PM until 4:30AM.

The country’s restaurants and bars have been closed since October, while schools and shops selling non-essential items closed last month.

Anyone caught violating the curfew will have to pay a fine.

A ban on flights from the UK, South Africa, and South America is also in effect.

[source:bbc]