Video from social media shown on Dutch broadcaster NOS appeared to show one person being shot in Rotterdam, but there was no immediate word on what happened. Local media reported that gangs of soccer hooligans were involved in the rioting. Police units from around the country raced to Rotterdam to help bring Friday night's situation under control. It has nothing to do with demonstrating," he added. "Protesting is a great right in our society, but what we saw last night is simply criminal behavior. "The riots and extreme violence against police officers, riot police and firefighters last night in Rotterdam are disgusting to see," he said in a statement. Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhaus condemned the events. In January, rioters also attacked police and set fires on the streets of Rotterdam after a curfew came into force. It was one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the Netherlands since coronavirus restrictions were first imposed last year. Riot police and a water cannon restored calm after midnight. Photos from the scene showed at least one police car in flames and another with a bicycle slammed through its windshield. Police combing through video footage from security cameras expect to make more arrests. Media TV Rotterdam via AP Police fired warning shots, injuring an unknown number of people, as riots broke out Friday night in downtown Rotterdam at a demonstration against plans by the government to restrict access for unvaccinated people to some venues.
"They shot at protesters, people were injured," Aboutaleb said. Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb told reporters in the early hours of Saturday morning that "on a number of occasions the police felt it necessary to draw their weapons to defend themselves" as rioters ran rampage through the port city's central shopping district, setting fires and throwing rocks and fireworks at officers.
One police officer was hospitalized with a leg injury sustained in the rioting, another was treated by ambulance staff and "countless" others suffered minor injuries. Officers arrested 51 people, about half of them minors, police said Saturday afternoon. The condition of the injured rioters was not disclosed. Police said that two rioters were hospitalized after being hit by bullets and investigations were underway to establish if they were shot by police. The Dutch city's mayor called it "an orgy of violence." THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Police opened fire on protesters in rioting that erupted in downtown Rotterdam around a demonstration against COVID-19 restrictions late Friday night.
0 kommentar(er)
