Video: Clashes with police at farmers rally in Almelo; Covid deniers join protest

Almelo Mayor Arjen Gerritsen issued an emergency order for the center of the city and the immediate vicinity on Monday afternoon when a group of people began to disrupt the public order, according to the municipality. This happened around the same time as a demonstration was held by farmers at the town hall.

A video posted on Twitter showed a group clashing with the police. A few people with handkerchiefs can be seen, a frequent symbol of those protesting against the Cabinet’s environment policy with the farmers, but it is not clear who those people are and whether they are actually farmers.

Photos from the demonstration also showed Virus Waarheid leader Willem Engel present. He was among the country’s most vocal opponent’s to the government's coronavirus policy in recent years. The dance instructor frequently speaks out against the need for vaccination and claims the health impact of infection is less serious than medical experts have shown.

Local media previously reported that most of the protesters left when the municipality ordered the farmers' demonstration to end between noon and 12:30 p.m. Nevertheless, a group mainly consisting of “civilians” remained behind, according to De Stentor.

Mayor Gerritsen had decided on Sunday evening that the demonstration against the Cabinet's nitrogen policy could continue under certain conditions on Monday morning. A maximum of 500 people and two agricultural vehicles were allowed to be present at the town hall in Almelo.

The rally, in which the Dutch dish hutspot was served, was allowed to take place between 10:00 a.m. and noon on a strip on the North Harbor side. An inverted Dutch flag was painted on that quay wall with the text “no farmer no food.”