At the end of the Dutch parliamentary elections, protesters gathered against the government and the tough corona shutdown in the country.
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Dutch police have combed Malieveld park with water cannons, horses and dogs, to break up a protest against the government and their handling of the corona lockdown.
This takes place before three days of voting in the Storting election.
Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck.
Even before the start, the maximum number had been reached, and several hundred people flocked to the park even after the police report.
This led to the police having to evacuate the place – which went hard.
– In an attempt to chase us away, police officers invaded the field with police cars, horses and dogs. They were also violent, unnamed witnesses say The Telegraph.
They tell of people who were laid on the ground by force, spat and trampled on.
The protesters themselves claim to have been calm and peaceful, while listening to music and dancing.
– We danced and had fun, until we suddenly saw a whole crowd of police and guards coming running across the grass field. The atmosphere got darker: I was afraid the police would hurt me, a woman explains to Telegraaf.
She tells of heavily armed police who “plowed” their way through the park.
The Hague police tweeted that they deployed rebel officers to break up the protest after hundreds of people defied repeated warnings to return home.
Earlier, they arrested a man for attacking an officer with a stick. An unknown number of protesters were arrested when police broke up the demonstration.
An AP photographer saw a police dog bite a man who was arrested due to the demonstration, reports AP.
The protesters acknowledged that they were two to three thousand people present in The Hague:
– Yes, it is more than allowed, but we need civil disobedience, a spokesperson said Broadcaster West. According to him, it is not about keeping the virus outbreak under control, but about keeping the people under control.
In recent weeks, there have been a number of demonstrations in Amsterdam, and the riot police have been called in repeatedly to remove protesters who refuse to leave, reports AP.
The demonstrations are a response to the government for their handling of the corona crisis: All bars, cafes, restaurants and museums have been closed since mid-October.
Despite the shutdown, the number of infections has remained high.
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