At least 25,000 people came out this Sunday to protest in the Dutch city of The Hague.
At least 25,000 people came out this Sunday to protest in the Dutch city of The Hague against the reintroduction this weekend of social distance, masks and the reinforcement of the covid pass to stop infections, which reached 11,398 new positives in the last 24 hours.
Some 25,000 people, according to the Police, and more than 50,000, according to the organizers, gathered this Sunday afternoon against the restrictions in Malieveld, a grass field located in the center of The Hague where most of the social protests are called , including those registered since March 2020 by the pandemic.
The demonstration has been organized by Samen voor Nederland (SVN), an association of dozens of organizations that have protested several times against the pandemic politics.
The participants were citizens of all ages, including elderly people over 70, who have carried signs with statements such as “we are fed up with lies”, “do not be fooled”, “covid vaccines = poison”, “media of communication = virus ”or“ love and freedom against the dictatorship ”.
Other banners showed attacks on politicians, especially Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Health Minister Hugo de Jonge.
Many banners carried messages against the use of the covid pass in social life, since it is required to access the hotel industry, musical and cultural events, markets, museums, and gyms, among other places, and the protesters denounced that this mechanism “ it divides society ”.
Before starting a march through the city center, the protesters attended several speeches by, among others, the leader of the Dutch far-right, Thierry Baudet, known for his skepticism towards the coronavirus and his defense of the conspiracy theories that have emerged over the last year and a half.
The protest was accompanied by dozens of police vehicles, and officers on foot, on bicycles and on horseback, and although the march has gone by without serious incidents or arrests, protesters have occasionally launched fireworks.
Some protesters waved the orange, white and blue flag of the far-right group Voorpost, a slogan used by the Dutch Nazi party during World War II and which has been seen in previous protests against measures to curb coronavirus infections.
The restrictions came into force this Saturday, which entailed the imposition of the interpersonal distance of 1.5 meters, the use of masks in all closed spaces accessible to the public -which includes shops- and the expansion of the use of the covid pass , which was previously limited only to the hospitality and events industry.
The announcement last Tuesday that the restrictions will return has led the week to an increase in vaccination. 82.1% of those over 12 years of age have a complete regimen, and 85.4% have received at least one dose.
According to data published this Sunday by the Institute of Public Health (RIVM), the Netherlands has documented 11,398 new positives in the last 24 hours, while hospital admissions rose by 91 patients, with a total of 1,490 people with covid-19 admitted to hospitals, the highest figure since the end of May.
Of the total, 305 are receiving treatment in intensive care units.
In addition, three women between the ages of 30 and 51 have been arrested in Amsterdam in connection with the illegal trafficking of fraudulent QR codes used for the covid pass.
They are accused of accepting payments of up to 1,000 euros to register dozens of patients as vaccinated, despite the fact that they have not received an injection, for which they obtained a covid pass for which they were not entitled. (I)
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