Digital Desk: Protesting against coronavirus restrictions, a convoy of cars from around the Netherlands came to a halt in The Hague's city centre on Saturday (February 12).
Hundreds of vehicles obstructed entrance to the Binnehof, the Dutch government's seat, according to a public television estimate, inspired by Canadian truckers who jammed the capital Ottawa.
The demonstrators arrived in trucks, cars, tractors, and even caravans early in the morning, and many looked adamant to stay, despite a police warning on Twitter to leave by 3.30pm (10.30pm Singapore time).
The convoy will "continue to roll until fundamental and long-lasting change is enacted", the organisers said in a statement, demanding the end to all Covid-19 restrictions across the country.
"For the moment, we're staying put and we'll see what happens," Mr Rutger van Lier, a 46-year-old entrepreneur taking part in the protest, told AFP.
He said the protest was "of course inspired by Canada".
"People there, too, are dissatisfied with government policy," he remarked.
Several other protestors, on the other hand, said they planned to drive to Brussels, Belgium's capital, or even to Paris, where French police have cracked down on a similar convoy, issuing hundreds of fines and firing tear gas on Saturday.
The caravan in the form of Canada is the latest protest in the Netherlands against the government's anti-Covid-19 measures.
When riots erupted in towns such as The Hague and Rotterdam in January and November of last year, anger turned to violence.
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