AMSTERDAM (REUTERS) - The mayor of Rotterdam on Saturday (Nov 20) condemned "an orgy of violence" at protests against Covid-19 measures in the Dutch port city, in which seven people were wounded and more than 20 arrested.
Crowds of rioters torched cars and threw rocks at police who responded with shots and water canon, as protests against Covid-19 measures turned violent in the port city of Rotterdam on Friday night.
"Police were forced to draw their weapons and even fire direct shots," Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb told a press conference early on Saturday.
Asked to characterise the event, Mr Aboutaleb said it was "an orgy of violence, I can't think of another way to describe it".
Authorities said they had arrested more than 20 people and expected to detain others, as the city centre where the riots took place is extensively monitored by security cameras.
Dutch justice minister Ferd Grapperhaus said in a statement that the "extreme violence" against police and fire fighters in Rotterdam was "repulsive".
"The right to protest is very important in our society but what we saw last night was simply criminal behaviour," he said.
Several hundred people had gathered to voice opposition to government plans to restrict access to indoor venues to people who have a "corona pass", showing they have been vaccinated or already recovered from an infection.
The pass is also available to people who have not been vaccinated, but have proof of a negative test.
Police issued an emergency ordinance in Rotterdam, shutting down public transportation and ordering people to go home.
"We fired warning shots and there were also direct shots fired because the situation was life-threatening," police spokesman Patricia Wessels told Reuters.
"We know that at least two people were wounded, probably as a result of the warning shots, but we need to investigate the exact causes further," she said.
Organisers of a planned protest on Saturday in Amsterdam against the coronavirus measures said they had canceled the event after Friday's violence.
A musical protest called by DJs in the southern city of Breda against current Covid-19 measures, which include the 8pm closure of bars, restaurants and clubs, will go ahead.
Organisers say they expect several thousand people.
The Netherlands re-imposed some lockdown measures last weekend for an initial three weeks in an effort to slow a resurgence of coronavirus contagion, but daily infections have remained at their highest levels since the start of the pandemic.
Authorities reported a record of more than 23,000 new cases on Thursday, well above the previous daily high of 13,000 reached in December 2020.
Video posted on social media showed burnt out police cars and rioters throwing fireworks and rocks at police.
