DIE HAGUE, The Netherlands (AP) – Dutch police used a water cannon on Sunday and horse officers walked across a park in The Hague to break a protest against the government and its hard coronavirus shutdown on the eve of three days ‘s vote in the general election.
The Hague police tweeted that they had deployed riot officers to break the protest after hundreds of people defied the repeated calls to go home. Earlier, they arrested one man for attacking an officer with a stick.
An unknown number of protesters were arrested when police stopped the protest. An AP photographer saw a police dog bite one man when he was arrested by officers.
Before the police ended the protest, several people wore a homemade banner with the text in the Dutch ‘Love & Freedom: No Dictatorship’. Many others wore yellow umbrellas, which people have taken part in protests against the closure in recent weeks.
Another protester filed an improvised series of shares with a photo of Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s head in the middle and a sign saying, “If you like the Netherlands, vote it out.”
Police tweeted before the scheduled start of the event that the maximum number of participants had already been reached. After the tweet, hundreds more people showed up, asking the authorities to stop trains to The Hague to stop more people moving to the city.
In recent weeks, smaller protests have taken place in Amsterdam, with riot police repeatedly called in to shepherd protesters leaving.
This reflects a growing impatience among a small section of society over the closure that has closed with businesses since mid-October, including pubs, restaurants and museums. Despite the exclusion, the number of infections remains stubbornly high. It is confirmed that more than 16 000 people died from COVID-19 in the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, party leaders used the waves to seek the support of undecided voters, but also to start shouting for position before forming the country’s next governing coalition.
In a television program broadcast on Sunday night on the national broadcaster NPO1, Wopke Hoekstra, leader of the Christian Democrats, said that he preferred to continue ruling in the outgoing four-party coalition led by Rutte.
Rutte, for his part, said the Christian Democrats are the most natural partner for his Conservative People’s Party for Freedom of Democracy.
“It’s a real bromance,” said Green Left party leader Jesse Klaver.
The comments predict a long process to form the next coalition after three days of the coronavirus vote taking place on Wednesday night.
A record 37 parties are taking part in the election for the 150 seats in the parliamentary council. The party that wins the most seats will be the first to hold talks to form the next coalition, but with so many parties likely to enter parliament, it could be difficult to form a coalition that has a majority. order.
If, as the polls predict, Rutte’s party emerges with the largest number of seats, he will be able to form his fourth ruling coalition and become the Netherlands’ longest-serving prime minister.
A limited number of polling stations open Monday and Tuesday, mainly to allow people who are considered vulnerable to the coronavirus to vote. Wednesday is the most important voting day and results will probably be known on Wednesday evening and until Thursday.