Anti-curfew riots hit multiple Dutch cities on 3rd night

A third night of rioting hit multiple Dutch cities on Monday night against the COVID-19 lockdown measures and the introduction of a curfew. Police said at least 151 suspects were arrested, reported Xinhua.

Shops were looted and police officers attacked in Rotterdam-Zuid. Mayors and lawmakers responded with fury, reported the NL Times news portal. About 50 protesters were arrested and one police officer got injured.

"Shameless thieves, I cannot say otherwise... I hate to threaten with the use of tear gas, a far-reaching measure. I find that sad, because I have never had to do that in my entire career as mayor," said Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb, according to an online story by NL Times.

In the northern Dutch town of Den Bosch, dozens of rioters dressed in black looted shops and set a car on fire. Access roads to Den Bosch were closed by the mayor on Monday night to prevent more people from joining the riots in the city center.

Riots also took place in other cities and towns like Haarlem, The Hague, Geleen, Helmond, Zwolle, Almelo, Breda, Veenendaal and Tilburg.

Mayor Jos Wienen of Haarlem called the riots and vandalism unacceptable, NL Times reported. "The coronavirus measures are tough for everyone, we all yearn for more freedom of movement. But that does not entitle anyone to march around town in groups during curfew, starting fires, lighting fireworks and committing vandalism," he said.

Parliamentarians also slammed the riots and violence, NL Times said. "This just hurts," CDA parliamentarian Wytske Postma tweeted. "Until now, looting shops was always something that happened in other countries. Not here. Not in the Netherlands."

The Dutch Police Union said the confrontations between rioters and police in several places were the heaviest in 40 years.

The Police Union feared that it will remain restless for days. "The police are well prepared for that, but I hope it is not necessary," Koen Simmers, director of the Dutch Police Union, told Dutch TV Nieuwsuur on Monday.

To fight against the spread of COVID-19, the Dutch government had ordered a curfew from 9 p.m. and 4:30 a.m., starting on Saturday night.

The curfew came on top of the current lockdown out of fears for the spread of the coronavirus variant first detected in Britain, although the current infection figures in the Netherlands showed a decline.