Tonight January 12, 2022 protests against the Corona measures took place throughout the Netherlands.
About 40 cities took part in this massive protest tonight.
After the scandalous action by the Dutch police during the protest on January 2 in Amsterdam, banned by mayor Femke Halsema, it seems as if the Netherlands is really done with it.
More and more cities are starting to participate in the protests, protests that are legitimate at all times under constitutional law.
As is often the case, there must be a tipping point in which people will make the decision to take a different path, would the January 2 protest have been this tipping point for the Netherlands?
About 40 cities took part in the so-called ‘Fakkeltochten’ (translates to ‘torch marches’) tonight, an unprecedented number for the Netherlands in one evening, and there are more every week!
A small list of the cities that participated today:
– Amersfoort
– Bergen op Zoom
– Zwijndrecht
– Eindhoven
– Delft
– Sittard
– Veendam
– Asten
– Horn
– Hellevoetsluis
– Utrecht
– Nijverdal
– Sassenheim
– Groningen
– Helmond
And many, many more.
The Dutch people are currently in lockdown, imposed by the former Minister of Public Health Hugo de Jonge and PM Mark Rutte.
While other European countries are easing restrictions, The Netherlands continues to put people in lockdown, closing all non-essential stores.
Last week the new cabinet was sworn in, giving the function of Public Health minister to Ernst Kuipers who worked at the Erasmus University Medical Center (Erasmus MC) in Rotterdam.Many Dutch people are happy H. De Jonge left his position as the minister of Health, he didn’t exactly made himself loved by the people since the Corona pandemic started.
Under his leadership as Minister of Health, dissatisfaction was regularly expressed with his way of working, as did the fact that he expressed his desire to introduce the so-called 2G policy whereby people would only be able to access public places if they were vaccinated or were cured, testing would no longer provide access.
Few Dutch people have any confidence that the new cabinet will change the policy that is being pursued, which is reason enough to continue to take to the streets, as was the case again tonight.
Under the former cabinet of which De Jonge was also a member, huge riots arose in Rotterdam at the end of last year.
The riots were the result of two years of dissatisfaction among the Dutch public, dissatisfaction with the measures that were introduced over and over again and also with the fireworks ban that was announced.
International media from all over the world reported on the situation in Rotterdam:
-‘Rotterdam police clash with rioters as Covid protest turns violent’ (BBC, November 20, 2021)
-‘Three in hospital after police fire on Dutch COVID-19 protesters’ (Reuters, November 21, 2021)
-‘Rioting erupts in Rotterdam over coronavirus restrictions’ (CTV News, November 19, 2021)
-‘Dutch police warning shots at Covid riot cause injuries’ (France 24, November 19, 2021)
Although there are a number of organizations that organize large protests in the Netherlands, for example the organization ‘Nederland in Verzet’, more and more local actions are also starting to be set up.
Many local residents are showing initiative and starting their own demonstrations, resulting in mass protests across the country, all of which are peaceful in nature.
The number of protests in the Netherlands seems to be increasing every week, as does the number of people who participate, is this the start of a revolution in the Netherlands?
