|
|
Thousands of protesters in the Netherlands took to the streets to voice their opposition to COVID-19 mandates and the government’s vaccination campaign while the country experiences its highest daily average of cases since the onset of the outbreak.
Reuters reported that the protests broke out across the country, including Amsterdam, where farmers parked tractors in the city’s center to block traffic.
The report said protesters chanted anti-government slogans and marched with banners and yellow umbrellas. These protesters were met with police officers with stop-and-search powers and riot police also patrolled neighborhoods.
Step Vassen, a reporter for Al Jazeera, reported that the protesters were “heated” but said they were peaceful.
“There’s a wide range of people against government measures and a general distrust of politics,” she said. “A lot of people are now not obeying the rules and are violating many of the rules that are still in place.”
The report pointed out that the government in Amsterdam has put into place one of the toughest lockdowns in Europe. Mark Rutte, the prime minister who was just sworn in for his fourth term, announced on Friday the easing of the lockdown despite the record number of infections.
“We are taking a big step and that also means we’re taking a big risk,” he said, according to Reuters. Under the new rules, beauty salons, hairdressers, and other non-essential stores will be allowed to open—with a 5 p.m. curfew. They’ve been closed since mid-December. Restaurants and bars will be closed until 25 January. The report pointed out that some restaurants have reopened on their own due to popular support.
Ernst Kuipers, the health minister, said the government understands the challenges these businesses face and decided to take a “calculated risk because we have to.”
“Lockdowns are very hard on everyone and keeping everything closed is also bad for our health,” he said.
TREND FORECASTS: We continue to note these protests to illustrate the growing anti-establishment movements that are forming, the negative socioeconomic and mental implications resulting from the draconian COVID War mandates that are ignored by the mainstream media and the politicians and bureaucrats that impose them… and how one word “Freedom,” is the dominant theme in the call to action.