Violent protests against Covid curbs continue in Netherlands

Violent protests against Covid-19 restrictions have continued in the Netherlands as police detained at least 40 people across three provinces.

Dutch security forces on Sunday used water canon, dogs and mounted police to stop rioting youths who set fires and threw fireworks.

Three people believed to be hit by police bullets remained in hospital on Sunday, a statement by the authorities said.

The night marked in the worst disturbances since a full lockdown led to widespread disorder and more than 500 arrests in January. 

The latest unrest began on Friday night in Rotterdam, where police opened fire on a crowd that had swelled to hundreds during a protest the city's mayor said had turned into "an orgy of violence".

The protests were sparked by opposition to government plans to restrict use of a national corona pass to people who have either recovered from Covid-19 or have been vaccinated, excluding those with a negative test result.

READ MORE: Violence erupts during Rotterdam protest against new 'corona pass'

Lockdown measures

The Netherlands reimposed some lockdown measures on its 17.5 million population last weekend for an initial three weeks in an effort to slow a resurgence of the virus, but daily infections have remained at their highest levels since the start of the pandemic.

Some of the most serious confrontations on Saturday night were in The Hague, where five officers were hurt, one of them seriously, a police statement said. 

Police carried out charges on horseback and arrested 19 people, one of them for throwing a rock through the window of a passing ambulance.

Two Eredivisie league soccer matches, which have been closed to the public under the tougher Covid-19 restrictions, were briefly disrupted as small groups of fans forced their way into the stadiums and threw fireworks.

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