King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands have sent a message of support to first responders after riots broke out in several cities in the Netherlands.
“Our thanks go out to all those police officers, first responders and municipal employees who are there for our safety. You do fantastic work under the most difficult of circumstances! We feel for all the shop owners and others who were affected by the violence. And we are impressed by the heartwarming response of those people who came to help. We will get through this together.”
The riots began as a protest against the newly implemented nighttime curfew (from 9 PM until 4.30 AM) to curb the spread of the coronavirus. However, these quickly spiralled into violent riots in several cities over several nights. In Eindhoven, rioters targetted the central station. Windows were smashed, several shops were looted and a car belonging to the national railway services was tipped over and set on fire.
The following day, several inhabitants of Eindhoven showed up with their own brooms to help clean up the mess and crowdfunding for a woman who saw her shop completely destroyed has so far raised over €100.000. After three nights, the most intense riots seem to be contained, but unrest remains in several cities.
