Protest erupts in Dutch city on 1st night of new lockdown

UTRECHT, Netherlands (AP) — Protests have broken out in a northern Dutch city as a new coronavirus lockdown imposed amid soaring infections forced bars and restaurants to close at 8 p.m. Dutch broadcaster NOS reported that hundreds of youngsters gathered in a central square in Leeuwarden on Saturday night. Video showed them setting off fireworks and holding flares billowing smoke. NOS says riot police moved in to push the protesters off the square. Elsewhere in the Netherlands, media reported that bars in the southern city of Breda remained open beyond the new lockdown mandated closing time. Caretaker Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced the partial lockdown Friday and said it will run for at least three weeks, saying his government wants to “deliver a hard blow to the virus.”