A Dutch court ruled on Tuesday that the current curfew in the Netherlands, to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, should be suspended as it violates the freedom of movement and assembly of citizens.
“The curfew must be stopped immediately,” the Hague Court said in a statement quoted by Euronews, adding that the Dutch government “abused” its powers. For the court, the curfew that takes place every day in the country between 9:00 pm and 4:30 am is “illegal” and, therefore, must be lifted “immediately”.
The curfew that is in effect is the first to be applied in the Netherlands since World War II. The measure, which joined the confinement, has been in force since January 23 and should only be lifted on March 3.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has already reacted to the Hague Court’s statement, asking the country to respect the night curfew, as it is still necessary to fight the pandemic, despite the fact that the court decision lacks a legal basis.
“It would be very unwise to suspend curfew at this time,” Rutte told reporters, quoted by Reuters. “We have established the measure to control the new coronavirus as much as possible and so that we can safely regain our freedom.”
The prime minister added that the government was working on an emergency law to give the curfew a more solid legal basis, as it is necessary to control new outbreaks due to the most contagious mutations of the virus. The government official stressed that he would do everything in his power to maintain the restriction in force and asked all Dutch people to limit their social contacts.
The restrictions in the Netherlands have sparked some more violent protests in recent days. Police authorities warned that the country could face several weeks of unrest following protests against curfew, which are compounded by discontent over delays in the vaccination process against covid-19.
In late January, Dutch security forces arrested more than 240 people, with police using tear gas to stop demonstrations in the cities of Amsterdam and Eindhoven.
The Dutch prime minister described the violence that accompanied protests against confinement in some cities as “unacceptable”. The official added that the vast majority of people were complying with the stricter rules, including curfews.
[Notícia atualizada às 14h25]
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