Dozens of anti-government demonstrators detained for social distancing

Police have reportedly arrested as many as 30 protesters in The Hague on Saturday for failing to comply with social distancing regulations laid down by acting mayor Johan Remkes earlier in the week.

The protest, which began spreading on the Rijnstraat in the Koekamp over the course of the early afternoon, drew crowds of several dozen people in opposition to the government's Covid-19 response and to 5G technology.

According to police, the protestors had been warned about the regulations, and were taken into custody once it was clear that the ordinance was being ignored.

As of 3:20 p.m., the protest had dispersed, a police spokesperson confirmed to NL Times, with between 20 and 30 people being arrested and brought to the station.

According to the municipality, the demonstrators had been trying to hold a number of small protests simultaneously and side-by-side. Because of the arrests at such protests, a government ban on demonstrations of 30 or more protestors will come into force from next Saturday, according to Omroep West.