Protests over Covid-19 curbs still rock Netherlands, Belgium, France

Protesters set up a fire in the street during a demonstration against measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 in Brussels, on Sunday

People continued to protest against Covid-19 curbs in parts of the Netherlands, France and Belgium. People continued to show up in numbers across European cities on Sunday, with the police deploying water cannons and tear gases to disperse crowds. More people have been arrested, reported DW News.

Riots broke out in cities across the Netherlands, the third night in a row that police clashed with mobs of angry youths who set fires and threw rocks to protest Covid-19 restrictions. Police issued an emergency order in the city of Enschede, near the German border, reported DW News.

Residents, elected officials and journalists in front of a burnt building on the French island of Guadeloupe, after days of protests. Pics/AFP

Protesters set off fireworks and vandalized properties in Groningen, Leeuwarden, Enschede and Tilburg. At least 130 people have been arrested since the protests began, police said. In Rotterdam, the second-largest Dutch city, police arrested 26 people after fans grew rowdy at a football game - people attacked police, threw bins, and lit fireworks. The Netherlands imposed a partial lockdown on November 13 and is considering tighter rules for the unvaccinated in public arenas.

Thousands of people also protested against Covid restrictions in Brussels, reported DW News. They were mainly demonstrating against the government's requirement to have people show a vaccine certificate in public places like restaurants.

Around 35,000 people took to the street in Brussels, police said. But the majority had dispersed before protests grew violent. Covid infections have grown at an alarming pace in Belgium in recent weeks, with an average of over 12,000 new infections per day.

The French territory of Guadeloupe was also hit by a third night of looting and rioting, with armed protesters shooting at police and firefighters, as per authorities, reported DW News. Police arrested 38 people as protesters set cars ablaze and destroyed pharmacies, Alexandre Rochatte, Guadeloupe's prefect, said.

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4,86,215
No. of new cases reported globally in the past 24 hours

25,69,66,237
Total no. of cases worldwide

51,51,643
Total no. of deaths worldwide

Source: WHO/Johns Hopkins

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