Third night of rioting over Dutch COVID-19 rules

Riots broke out in cities across the Netherlands for a third night in a row on Sunday.

Police mounted on horseback clashed with mobs of angry protesters who set fires and threw rocks in response to the country’s latest COVID-19 restrictions.

Unrest began earlier in the weekend in Rotterdam to protest government plans to create a national corona pass for people who’ve either been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19.

Police detained over 60 people in three provinces, and five officers were injured on Saturday according to authorities.

In Rotterdam, where police opened fire on a crowd that had swelled to hundreds, the city's mayor said the scene had turned into "an orgy of violence."

Four people believed to have been hit by police bullets remained in the hospital on Sunday, a statement by the authorities said.

The country reimposed lockdown measures last weekend in an effort to slow a resurgence of the virus.

Daily infections remain at their highest levels since the start of the pandemic.

Some protesters were also angered by a firework ban on New Year’s Eve to avoid added pressure on hospitals already forced to scale back care due to a surge in COVID patients.