The current lockdown has attracted its share of criticism from people who do not agree with the measures.
Such was the case in the Hague yesterday, where an illegal protest against the lockdown led to 80 arrests, reports AD.
Not following measures
The protest was unannounced. However, it was allowed to take place, as long as the demonstrators kept a distance of five feet from each other and followed police orders. The protesters disregarded this advice, leading to their arrest, as well as forcing the mayor of the Hague to end the protest early.
Daar gaan ze. pic.twitter.com/CtsjrOJACt
— lex de jonge (@xxxxellll) May 5, 2020
The protesters were escorted to the Hague central station by the mounted police units. Some of them threw objects at the police horses.
In total, around 80 protesters were arrested, mostly for disobeying police orders. For example, one of the protesters was arrested after laying down in front of a police van.
The protesters were taken to the station on buses from the HTM, which ended up being quite crowded. The police stated that they tried their best to spread out the people. Still, this attracted criticism due to to the lack of space in the buses.
The mayor of the Hague, Johan Remkes, confirmed that protests are still allowed during this period of time, as long as rules are adhered to and there are no dangers to public health.
A similar protest last week
This isn’t the first anti-lockdown protest that took place. Last week there was another unannounced protest in the Hague, that was also dispersed by the police after it got out of hand.
The municipality insists that protests can take place, but they need to be announced beforehand and properly organised.
These protests seem to be part of a wider social phenomenon that also involves scepticism against 5G technology and its link to coronavirus.
Last night, slogans were written with chalk around the city, with messages such as “stay free,” “unlock now” and “vrijheid nu” (freedom now).
The slogans appeared a couple of days after two broadcasting masts caught on fire in the Hague, which police suspect are cases of arson. This wouldn’t be the first either, so far 25 broadcasting masts were set on fire in the Netherlands.
Anti-lockdown protest in Utrecht
A protest also occurred in Utrecht, under police supervision. The protesters drove through town in motorcycles, cars and vans. One of the protesters stated that they were to celebrate freedom and that they are against any lockdown measures.
Among the slogans, the protesters had there were anti-vaccination, anti-5G as well as anti-lockdown messages.
Do anti-lockdown protesters have a valid point to make? Share your thoughts on the matter in the comments below.
Feature Image: Vlad Moca-Grama/Supplied
