Netherlands Police Fire Shots as Rioters Protest Covid Curbs

(Bloomberg) --

Violent demonstrations broke out in Rotterdam over the Netherlands’ virus restrictions, with the police firing warning shots and deploying a water canon to push back the crowd. 

The police said in a statement that two people were injured “related to the fired shots” but said details of the injuries were unclear. 

Tweets showed at least one car on fire with a bicycle tossed on top, amid the anger of hundreds of protesters, some reported to be soccer hooligans. 

With cases rising in the Netherlands, the government has proposed excluding negative tests from the national health pass, allowing only vaccination or recovery from infection. 

Europe is again the global epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic, with new infections rising to record levels and some countries, such as Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic, clamping down on the unvaccinated. 

Thousands plan to descend on Vienna on Saturday to protest Austria’s latest Covid-19 measures, including a nationwide lockdown and vaccine mandate. 

Austria’s domestic intelligence service has warned that protesters may attempt to enter hospitals after calls for “action” in anti-vaccine social media groups, the Krone reported, citing the interior ministry. Police increased presence around hospitals in the Salzburg and Upper Austria regions, current virus hot-spots.

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