Seven wounded, 20 arrested during Rotterdam riot; “Orgy of violence” says mayor

At least seven people, including law enforcement, a journalist and rioters, were injured during the during the rioting on Friday evening in Rotterdam. Police took a minimum of 20 people into custody. "There are clear images of many suspects. We will continue investigations," Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb said. He called the event "an orgy of violence."

The riots broke out at a protest against a proposed change in coronavirus policy. The police fired warning shots and later targeted gunshots, with multiple people wounded as a result. A police spokesperson said officers fired both warning and targeted shots. The Rotterdam “driehoek”, consisting of the mayor, district police chief and district head of the Public Prosecution Service, did not comment on the severity of the injuries during the press conference. Police did say several officers were hurt, and that a journalist was injured after he was punched in the face.

It was not until about 1:30 a.m., four hours after the rioting started, that police reported around the situation in the city was "manageable." Aboutaleb admitted that police did not have control over the riots on the Coolsingel at the start of the clashes.

On Friday around 8 p.m., hundreds of people gathered on the Coolsingel in opposition to the government's plans to introduce a 2G policy. This would mean that only people vaccinated against Covid-19 or anyone recently recovered from the virus would receive a Covid access pass.

Despite a large number of police officers and police riot squad units quickly arriving at the scene, they were initially "overpowered by rioters and demonstrators," Aboutaleb said during a press conference. "Rioters heavily attacked the police at different points in time," the Rotterdam mayor said.

They allegedly pelted officers with fireworks, and vehicles, trash bins and other items were set on fire. Police deployed a water cannon to bring the situation under control. Firefighters required police protection while extinguishing various fires.

Chief of Police Henk van Essan was very concerned about the aggression shown towards police officers. Society is becoming more intolerant “towards each other and the government,” he believes. "Not only are police officers confronted with this, but also politicians, scientists and journalists," Van Essen said.

The demonstration at the Coolsingel was not registered beforehand, Aboutaleb explained. Eight riot police squads and around 400 officers were called to the center of Rotterdam when the situation escalated around 8 p.m. The Rotterdam Driehoek said it has not established a concrete profile of the rioters. In addition to opponents of the coronavirus policy, football hooligans may also have been involved.