Anti-coronavirus measures protesters gather again at Dam Square
Update: Approximately 25,000 people attended the protest, according to officials and protest organizers. An earlier version of this story featured an archived photo of a vacated Dam Square. The article was updated with a photo of the protest.
Opponents of the coronavirus measures gathered on Sunday at the Dam Square in Amsterdam for a demonstration. The protestors left around 1 p.m. to march through the center of the capital city.
In pictures, hundreds of people can be seen near the Dam. The exact number of attendees was not yet known. The protestors were playing music in a relaxed atmosphere. Demonstrators were carrying yellow umbrellas and balloons with red hearts. Many upside-down Dutch flags were also visible.
The walking route is around five kilometers long and stretches from the Rozengracht to the Marnixstraat and the Haarlemmer Houttuinen.
More than 70 organizations are taking part in the protest, according to organizer Michel Reijinga. He has already organized multiple protests against the coronavirus measures under the motto “coffee drinking”.
“We fight for new, good and honest politics which seems difficult to come by lately,” Reijinga said. “The introduction of the medical passport and the consequential QR-code are the cherry on top from the already scandalously disproportionate coronavirus measures. This must stop,” Reijinga said.
In the beginning of September, there had also been a protest against the coronavirus measures in Amsterdam where thousands of people participated. The organization was not in agreement with the estimation of the number of participants by the police and municipality. This time the organization will use a helicopter from a special bureau to count the number of demonstrators.
Reijinga told AT5 he expects between 50 thousand to 100 thousand protestors on Sunday.
Reporting by ANP.