Thousands gather in Amsterdam despite demonstration ban

By ALEKSANDAR FURTULA and MIKE CORDER
Associated Press

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Thousands of people in the capital of the Netherlands have defied a ban to gather for a demonstration against the Dutch government’s coronavirus lockdown measures. The local government in Amsterdam had outlawed Sunday’s protest, saying police had indications some demonstrators might be planning to attend “prepared for violence.” The municipality later issued an emergency order for people to leave Museum Square, and riot police marched across the grass to clear the area. Coronavirus infection rates have been gradually decreasing for weeks in the Netherlands, which re-introduced lockdown measures in November and tightened them further during the holiday season.