The 2021 Dutch curfew riots () were a series of riots in the Netherlands that initiated as protests against the government's COVID-19 prevention measures and specifically the 21:00–4:30 curfew that was introduced on 23 January 2021. The police have described the riots as the worst in the country since the 1980 coronation riots.
Background
The proposal to introduce a nationwide curfew to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had been put on the table by the Outbreak Management Team (OMT) as early as September 2020, but did not gain the support of the House of Representatives at the time, because of its strong association with World War II.
Four months later, however, the measure was deemed necessary as the number of infections was not declining fast enough, despite the fact that the Netherlands had been in a full lockdown since 14 December 2020. Furthermore, the more transmissible B.1.1.7 variant of the virus continued to spread across the country, raising concerns for a potential "third wave" of infections.
Demissionary Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced his plan to introduce a 20:30–4:30 curfew at a press conference on 20 January 2021. On 21 January, a majority in the House of Representatives voted to support the proposal, after a motion to shorten the curfew to 21:00–4:30 had been adopted. The curfew would be in effect from 23 January to at least 10 February 2021. The curfew was lifted on April 28, 2021 and has not been reinstated since then.
Non-violent protests against the government's COVID-19 prevention measures had taken place on several occasions prior to the announcement of the curfew. However, on 24 January 2021, illegal demonstrations against the curfew in Amsterdam and Eindhoven escalated into violent riots in response to police interventions. Calls to riot were subsequently spread on social media, leading to riots in other places as well.
Timeline
23 January
During the first night of the curfew, the police issued 3,600 fines for being outside after 21:00 without a valid reason. Anti-lockdown protesters gathered in Amersfoort, Rotterdam, IJmuiden and Stein to demonstrate.
On Urk, a former island in the province of Flevoland, groups of youths began to riot in protest against the curfew. The rioters vandalised police cars, and threw stones and fireworks at police officers. Later that evening, a COVID-19 testing site of the Municipal Health Service (GGD) was set on fire. Two suspects have subsequently been arrested.
24 January
On 24 January in the afternoon, hundreds of protesters gathered on Museumplein in Amsterdam, despite the fact that Mayor Femke Halsema, the chief police officer and the chief public prosecutor had prohibited the demonstration. The police used water cannons and police dogs to disperse the crowd, in response to which the protesters began throwing firework bombs towards police officers.
Similarly, in Eindhoven, rioters – who had come to the city centre to protest against the lockdown measures – attacked the police by throwing stones, golf balls, fireworks and knives. They also set vehicles on fire and looted a supermarket in the city's central station. According to ProRail, hundreds of thousands of euros in damage was inflicted to the railway station.
In the evening, riots also took place in Enschede, Helmond, Roermond, The Hague, Tilburg and Venlo. In Enschede, rioters attempted to break the windows of the local hospital, Medisch Spectrum Twente. More than 300 people were arrested.
25 January
150 people were arrested during the night from 25 to 26 January in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Shops were looted and vandalized. The cities of Den Bosch, Zwolle, Amersfoort, Alkmaar, Hoorn, Gouda, Haarlem, and Veenendaal experienced troubles, including cars being burned and police attacked with stones.
26 January
Den Bosch, Sittard-Geleen, Stein and Capelle aan den IJssel issued an emergency decree for the upcoming night. Beek and Echt-Susteren will have an emergency decree until the 10th of February, which will allow the police to do stop-and-frisk without reason. Zwolle declared an emergency order, which is one step below an emergency decree in Dutch law. Dutch police designated Den Bosch, Almelo en Haarlem as potential hotspots. The Ikazia Hospital in Rotterdam also advised its patients not to come during the evening hours, as police designated the nearby Zuidplein as a potential hotspot.