Protesters arrested following disruption of Rutte’s speech

Last night, Prime Minister Rutte gave a sobering announcement about the new coronavirus measures in the Netherlands over Christmas. Noises could be heard during the speech, and this was the protest going on outside the Torentje, during which arrests were made.

Demonstrators banged pots, blew on whistles and yelled, expressing their disapproval for the hard lockdown that the Netherlands went into today, reports NOS.

The speech was watched on TV by almost 8.4 million people. This is the highest rating ever for a non-sports programme in the Netherlands. Viewers found the noises distracting, and commented about the protest on Twitter.

During his speech, Rutte addressed the protestors outside, saying, “It is not a harmless flu, as some people outside here think.”

Illegal demonstration

The protest had not been announced to the municipality of the Hague and was therefore illegal. Shortly after the speech, around 7 PM, police broke up the demonstration. Around 7:45 PM, all of the protesters had returned home.

Demonstrators arrested

One protester, guilty of insulting police, was arrested near the Korte Vijverberg. A second person was later arrested after refusing to leave the demonstration.

What do you make of the protestor’s disrupting Rutte’s speech? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

Feature Image: AVC Photo Studio/Pexels

Emily Burger
Emily Burger
Emily grew up in South Africa but has also lived in Egypt, the UK, Canada and now the Netherlands. She first came here for her Bachelors in Arts and Culture at Maastricht University and soon fell in love with the land of canals, clogs and cheese. When she's not daydreaming about sci-fi movies or countries yet to explore, you can find her writing for DutchReview.

1 COMMENT

  1. It seems self evident that he wanted the protesters to be heard. Why didn’t he simply have someone close the window before he began the speech?

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