Today, Monday, Dutch Prime Minister (PM) Mark Rutte attacked demonstrators who took to the streets to protest against restrictions applied by the government to combat the Coronavirus (known also as COVID-19) in the country.
Rutte slammed those who participated in demonstrations that witnessed violence, describing them as "idiots".
Criticizing the worst unrest since a general closure led to widespread unrest in January, Rutte said, "This is pure violence disguised as a protest."
He added that there is a lot of unrest in society because the country has suffered from Corona for a long time.
But he vowed not to surrender to idiots who use pure violence just because they're angry.
Dutch police arrested more than 100 people during the violence over three nights that saw police firing on rioters in Rotterdam on Friday.
On Sunday, 30 people were arrested when mobs of angry youths set fires and threw stones at police.
At least seven people were injured during clashes between police and protesters over Corona restrictions in the city of Rotterdam last night, the Dutch broadcaster quoted the city's mayor, Ahmed Abu Talib, as saying.
The authority indicated that "several people were injured when the police opened fire, and a number of police officers were also wounded," while the security forces detained at least 20 people.
The police confirmed that there were injuries as a result of its members firing.
According to Abu Talib, the police regained control of the city center in the early hours of Saturday morning.
On Friday evening, hundreds of people took to the streets to protest against the rules of social distancing and restrictions on movement.
The demonstrations turned into confrontations with the police, who fired warning shots in the air and used water cannons to disperse the protesters.
It is noteworthy that the Dutch authorities have tightened restrictions on movement since November 13, against the background of the high number of new infections with the Coronavirus.
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