Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb of Rotterdam said during a press conference on Friday evening that the group of rioters in the corona protest that got out of hand included Feyenoord supporters and fans of other clubs. Seven people were injured in the corona riots in Rotterdam and at least twenty were arrested after disturbances between the police and protesters on the Coolsingel. The police fired targeted shots.
According to Aboutaleb, although there was a lot of police on their feet at the beginning of the evening, they encountered ‘a force majeure of rioters and protesters’. This resulted in ‘an orgy of violence’ in the center of Rotterdam. According to the triangle, ‘heavy violence’ was used against the police during the riots, which also ‘developed very quickly’. For example, heavy fireworks and stones were thrown.
“Unfortunately, the police soon had to conclude that quite a few people had no intention of being peaceful, but were out to riot. The picture is that not all of them are Rotterdammers. The police did recognize a number of Rotterdammers, which belong to the so-called classical repertoire of the police. From the hard core of the Feyenoord supporters, but people were also observed from other clubs elsewhere in the Netherlands.”
The demonstration on Coolsingel against the government’s plans for a 2G policy had not been reported to the municipality, Aboutaleb explained. Eight riot squads from across the country, about 400 officers, were called in when things got out of hand. Four police cars went up in flames. Firefighters had to be protected by officers when extinguishing, Aboutaleb said. The mayor spoke at the press conference of ‘a heroic police action’ and disapproved of the aggression the police had to deal with. “What possesses these people? Violence against officers affects me, including the triangle.”
International media report extensively about the unrest and often refer to Aboutaleb’s statement about ‘an orgy of violence’. ‘Rotterdam police open fire after violence in Covid protest’, headlines the Guardian. The Belgian De Morgen writes that protests have gotten ‘completely out of hand’. “The demonstrators set off heavy fireworks, road signs and paving stones were demolished.” On the website of The last news photos and videos of burning vehicles and the actions of the police are shown. Newspapers like la Republica in Italy, Le Figaro in France and Spanish La Vanguardia also write about the riots. Media in Australia, Canada and the United States are also reporting.