Cincunri Sakia

Minggu, 21 November 2021

Covid: Netherlands and other parts of Europe see protests over new restrictions - BBC News

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Fresh unrest has erupted in the Netherlands against new lockdown rules amid rising Covid-19 cases in Europe.

People hurled fireworks at police and set fire to bicycles in The Hague, one night after protests in Rotterdam turned violent and police fired shots.

Thousands of demonstrators also took to the streets in Austria, Croatia and Italy as anger mounted over new curbs.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was "very worried" about rising coronavirus cases on the continent.

Its regional director, Dr Hans Kluge, told the BBC that unless measures were tightened across Europe, half a million more deaths could be recorded by next spring.

"Covid-19 has become once again the number one cause of mortality in our region," he said, adding "we know what needs to be done" in order to fight the virus - such as getting vaccinated, wearing masks, and using Covid passes.

Many governments across the continent are bringing in new restrictions to try to tackle rising infections. A number of countries have recently reported record-high daily case numbers.

Demonstrations and unrest

In the Netherlands, a second night of riots broke out on Saturday in several towns and cities.

Hooded rioters set fire to bicycles in The Hague, as riot police used horses, dogs and batons to chase the crowds away. Officials have announced an emergency order in the city, and at least seven people were arrested.

Police said a rock was thrown through the window of an ambulance carrying a patient. Officers in the city tweeted that five police officers were injured, with one taken away by ambulance with a knee injury.

Elsewhere in the country, two top-flight football matches were briefly halted after supporters broke into the grounds and ran on to the pitch. Fans are currently banned from stadiums because of new coronavirus rules.

The unrest follows a night of riots in Rotterdam condemned by the city's mayor as "an orgy of violence". Police fired warning shots and direct shots "because the situation was life-threatening", a police spokesperson told Reuters.

At least three demonstrators are receiving hospital treatment for gunshot wounds, officers said. Authorities have launched an investigation.

The Netherlands imposed a three-week partial lockdown last weekend after recording a record spike in Covid cases. Bars and restaurants must close at 20:00, and crowds are banned at sports events.

Tens of thousands of people protested in Austria's capital Vienna after the government announced a new national lockdown and plans to make jabs compulsory in February 2022. It is the first European country to make vaccination a legal requirement.

Brandishing national flags and banners reading "Freedom", protesters shouted "Resistance!" and booed the police.

The country will enter a 20-day nationwide lockdown from Monday, shutting all but essential shops and ordering people to work from home.

The mandatory vaccinations have been described as a "double-edged sword" by Andrea Ammon, director for the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

She told the BBC's Andrew Marr that the strict rules could make people who were still doubting the vaccine - but not fully rejecting it - completely turn away from it.

In Croatia, thousands marched in the capital, Zagreb, to show their anger at mandatory vaccinations for public sector workers, while in Italy, a few thousand protesters gathered at the ancient Circus Maximus chariot-racing ground in Rome to oppose "Green Pass" certificates required at workplaces, venues and on public transport.

French authorities are sending dozens more police officers to quell unrest on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, a French overseas department.

Overnight riots saw looters ransack dozens of shops and set businesses alight after protests against France's own Covid pass turned violent.

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said that some involved in the unrest used "live ammunition" against law enforcement, and promised a "firm" response to those committing public disorder.

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2021-11-21 10:28:37Z
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Sabtu, 20 November 2021

'Orgy of violence’: Dutch police shoot at rioters as Europe braces for protests - ITV News

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2021-11-20 22:57:17Z
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'Orgy of violence’: Dutch police shoot at rioters as Europe braces for protests - ITV News

Other protests against tightening restrictions have also taken place in several European cities, as ITV News Correspondent Sejal Karia reports

Police have opened fire on protesters in the Netherlands and seven people have been injured in rioting that erupted in Rotterdam, as demonstrations against new Covid-19 restrictions take place across Europe.

The city’s mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb called it “an orgy of violence”.

Mr Aboutaleb told reporters in the early hours of Saturday morning that “on a number of occasions the police felt it necessary to draw their weapons to defend themselves” as rioters ran rampage through the port city’s central shopping district, setting fires and throwing rocks and fireworks at officers.

“They shot at protesters, people were injured,” Mr Aboutaleb said - he did not have details on the injuries.

They were protesting against plans for Covid vaccine passes, and a ban on fireworks on New Year's Eve.

Demonstrations are also set to take place against Covid restrictions in Austria, Switzerland, Croatia and Italy, as nations in mainland Europe struggle to contain coronavirus outbreaks.

Demonstrators were protesting against government restrictions Credit: Media TV Rotterdam via AP

Thousands of protesters are expected to gather in Vienna on Saturday after the Austrian government announced a nationwide lockdown to contain the quickly rising coronavirus infections in the country.

A number of police officers were also injured in the Rotterdam violence and officers arrested dozens of people and expect to arrest more after studying video footage from security cameras, Mr Aboutaleb said.

Photos from the scene showed at least one police car in flames and another with a bicycle slammed through its windscreen.

Riot police and a water cannon restored calm after midnight.

It was one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the Netherlands since coronavirus restrictions were first imposed last year.

In January, rioters also attacked police and set fires on the streets of Rotterdam after a curfew came into force.

Demonstrators protesting in Rotterdam Credit: Media TV Rotterdam via AP

Justice minister Ferd Grapperhaus condemned the events.

“The riots and extreme violence against police officers, riot police and firefighters last night in Rotterdam are disgusting to see,” he said in a statement.

“Protesting is a great right in our society, but what we saw last night is simply criminal behaviour. It has nothing to do with demonstrating,” he added.

Police units from around the country raced to Rotterdam to help bring Friday night’s situation under control.

Local media reported that gangs of football hooligans were involved in the rioting.

Video from social media shown on Dutch broadcaster NOS appeared to show a person being shot in Rotterdam, but there was no immediate word on what happened.

Police said in a tweet that it was “still unclear how and by whom” the person was apparently shot.

An independent investigation into the shootings by police was opened, as is the case whenever Dutch police use their weapons.

The government has said it wants to introduce a law that would allow businesses to restrict the country’s coronavirus pass system to only people who are fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19 – that would exclude people who test negative.

The country has seen record numbers of infections in recent days and a new partial lockdown came into force a week ago.

Local political party Leefbaar Rotterdam condemned the violence in a tweet.

“The centre of our beautiful city has this evening transformed into a war zone,” it said.

“Rotterdam is a city where you can disagree with things that happen but violence is never, never the solution.”

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European cities protest against fresh restrictions to stem the pandemic - Financial Times

Rotterdam’s mayor has defended the city’s police force after officers opened fire on protesters when riots erupted during a demonstration against fresh restrictions to stem the spread of Covid-19, injuring at least seven people.

More than 20 people were arrested on Friday night as protesters threw rocks at police and set fires in the Dutch city to show their discontent over new measures that will curb access to venues, including restaurants and shops for the unvaccinated, and are set to be in place for at least three weeks.

Ahmed Aboutaleb, the mayor of Rotterdam, blamed protesters for an “an orgy of violence” as he justified the use of force to contain the situation.

“Police were forced to draw their weapons and even fire direct shots,” Aboutaleb told reporters, adding that some police officers were injured and that more arrests were expected after an analysis of security footage.

Ferd Grapperhaus, Dutch justice minister, said that the “extreme violence” against police and fire fighters in the port city was repulsive.

“The right to protest is very important in our society but what we saw last night was simply criminal behaviour,” he added.

Police said that the protests had turned into riots. “Fires have been set in several places. Fireworks were set off and police fired several warning shots”.

A police car was set alight during the violence in Rotterdam © ANP/AFP via Getty Images

Local authorities said police units from around the Netherlands had been deployed to Rotterdam to restore order as they issued an emergency declaration that banned people from gatherings in the area where the riots took place.

Following the violent scenes in Rotterdam, organisers of a planned protest in Amsterdam on Saturday said they had cancelled the event. But another protest in the southern city of Breda against current measures to curb the spread of the virus, which include the 8pm closure of bars, restaurants and clubs, was set to go ahead.

This is not the first time there have been violent outbreaks in the Netherlands over coronavirus restrictions. In January rioters and police clashed on the streets of Rotterdam after a curfew came into force.

Many European countries are reviving draconian restrictions, to fight the spread of the coronavirus as it continues to threatens to overwhelm health systems despite vaccination campaigns.

Thousands of protesters gathered in Vienna after the Austrian government announced a full lockdown and a vaccine mandate. Germany ruled out a lockdown but Jens Spahn, the health minister, spoke of “a national emergency that requires a combined national effort”.

In central Vienna, a mostly peaceful demonstration of tens of thousands of protesters turned violent by mid-afternoon, with a small group of protesters throwing objects at police, such as beer cans and bottles, and detonating smoke bombs and fireworks.

Demonstrators in Vienna, on Saturday © AP

Police were involved in scuffles with protesters in the Heldenplatz — outside the former royal palace — where demonstrators had converged after marching around Vienna’s central Ring boulevard.

In one incident a demonstrator attempted to snatch a firearm from a police holster.

Authorities estimated around 35,000 people had turned up to the protests — the largest so far during the pandemic. Austria’s rightwing populist Freedom Party said the turnout was closer to 100,000.

Ten arrests had been made by mid-afternoon, police said. A number of offences were also registered under the Austrian Verbotsgesetz, the law which bans Nazi symbols and propaganda. Several protesters were seen wearing yellow Jewish stars — apparently intending to draw a comparison between the requirement for an injection and the horrors of Nazism.

The convicted neo-Nazi Gottfried Küssel was spotted at the demonstration, as well as the leader of Austria’s extreme rightwing identitarian movement Martin Sellner.

The majority of demonstrators were from the political mainstream.

The outpouring of anger, which brought people of all ages from across the country to the capital, has been triggered by the sweeping new measures to fight the pandemic announced by Austria’s government on Friday.

Under them, Austria is set to become the first country in Europe — and only the fifth in the world — to make vaccination mandatory for all adults.

A blanket three-week lockdown for the country, beginning on Monday, was also announced.

Austria’s rolling seven-day average of daily new infections per 100,000 residents is more than triple the EU-wide average, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

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2021-11-20 16:48:00Z
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Lockdowns and bans on unvaccinated: How Europe is coping with Covid surge - ITV News

As Austria prepares to go into a full nationwide lockdown and makes vaccinations mandatory to tackle surging Covid cases, how are other countries across Europe coping with the virus?

Several European nations report hospitals being at breaking point, while some lawmakers are reinforcing strict measures including lockdowns and banning the unvaccinated from public places.

Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Europe is once again at the epicentre of the pandemic, as the relaxation of restrictions and unequal vaccination rollouts have brought the continent to a "critical point".

Some countries have reached near universal vaccination of around 90%, such as Ireland, Portugal, Denmark and Malta, according to the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC). But on the other side of the bloc, the likes of Romania and Bulgaria have only fully vaccinated just over 30% and 20% respectively.

Dr. Michael Ryan, the WHO head of emergencies, said: “Quite frankly, some countries are in such a difficult situation now that they’re going to find it hard not to put in place restrictive measures, at least for a short period of time".

Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned "storm clouds" of a new Covid wave are gathering over parts of Europe and could make their way to the UK.

"We have been here before and we remember what happens when a wave starts rolling in," he warned earlier this week, urging Britons to get their booster jabs.

So, how are some European countries handling a rise in cases?

Germany

The unvaccinated will no longer be allowed on public transport in Germany Credit: AP

German lawmakers on Friday approved new Covid measures banning unvaccinated people from using public transport as cases topped 50,000 for the third day running.

In a bid to combat weeks of spiralling cases, the legislation will require employees to prove they are vaccinated, recovered from Covid, or have tested negative in order to access communal workplaces.

Officials in the eastern state of Saxony are also poised to impose an up to three-week lockdown.

But the head of Germany’s disease control agency, Lothar Wieler, urged the government to close clubs and bars, ban large-scale events, and limit many public areas to only the vaccinated or those with Covid recovery certificates. He said the country has already entered into a “nationwide state of emergency”.

Mr Wieler, of the Robert Koch Institute, warned many in parts of the country are struggling to access regular medical care because hospitals and intensive care wards are so overstretched and struggling to find beds for patients.

“All of Germany is one big outbreak,” Mr Wieler said. “This is a nationwide state of emergency. We need to pull the emergency brake.”

On Thursday that 65,371 newly confirmed cases had been reported in a single day, the Robert Koch Institute said.

The Netherlands

Bars and restaurants have a curfew of 8pm local time under new Covid restrictions in The Netherlands Credit: AP

Currently in the throes of a three-week partial lockdown, The Netherlands implemented the first shutdown in Western Europe since a new wave of infections began surging across parts of the continent.

Bars, restaurants and supermarkets have to close at 8pm local time, professional sports matches are being played in empty stadiums and people have been urged to work from home as much as possible.

Shops selling non-essential items have to close at 6pm, while social distancing has also returned.

Announcing the lockdown starting on Saturday November 13, Caretaker Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said his government wants to "deliver a hard blow to the virus" as hospitals warned they are overburdened with Covid patients.

“Tonight we have a very unpleasant message with very unpleasant and far-reaching decisions," he said at the time.

The measures came after the country saw its highest ever number of new Covid cases in a single day of 16,364 on Thursday November 11.

Christmas and New Year celebrations have already been cancelled. In Utrecht, organisers have called off its Santa greeting at the annual Sinterklaas party - usually attended by tens of thousands of people - while New Year's Eve fireworks celebrations across the country have been cancelled.

The Czech Republic

The unvaccinated will not be allowed to enter many non-essential public places in the Czech Republic Credit: AP

On Thursday, the Czech government approved new Covid restrictions banning unvaccinated people from most non-essential indoor places from Monday amid a record surge in cases.

The unvaccinated will no longer be allowed to show negative coronavirus tests in order to attend public events, go to bars and restaurants, visit hairdressers, museums and similar facilities or use hotels.

Only people who are vaccinated or have recently recovered from Covid will remain eligible. There are exceptions for teenagers aged 12 to 18, people whose medical condition doesn’t allow vaccination and people who have been partially vaccinated.

Covid rates vs vaccination rates across Europe

However, unvaccinated people visiting hospitals and nursing homes will be allowed in as long as they show a negative test.

Weekly mandatory testing for non-vaccinated employees of all companies has also been enforced by the government.

The government said the goal of the measures, in place until the end of February, was to encourage people to get jabbed, with Prime Minister Andrej Babis saying: “The situation is serious and we again urge everyone to get vaccinated."

The Czech daily count soared to 22,511 new cases on Tuesday, eclipsing the previous record set on January 7 by almost 5,000 and nearly 8,000 just over a week earlier.

Slovakia

Slovakia has re-implemented strict Covid measures Credit: AP

In Slovakia, those who have not been vaccinated will be banned from all non-essential shops and shopping malls from Monday.

They will not be allowed to attend any public events and gatherings and will be required to test twice a week to go to work.

But in the hardest hit parts of the country, restaurants, hotels, and fitness and wellness centres will be closed for everyone.

Prime Minister Eduard Heger called the measures “a lockdown for the unvaccinated” that should be in place for three weeks but the government "will react promptly" if the restrictions "are not effective".

He said some of the country's hospitals are already overwhelmed.

Ukraine

Covid misinformation has led to vaccination uptake being among the lowest in Europe in Ukraine, say doctors Credit: AP

Ukraine, which has one of Europe's lowest vaccination rates, is setting new records almost daily for Covid infections and deaths.

In an effort to motivate citizens to get vaccinated, President Zelenskyy promised every fully vaccinated Ukrainian a payment of 1,000 hryvnia (about £28) - around 5% of the average monthly wage.

The government has made it mandatory for teachers, doctors, government employees and other groups of workers to be fully vaccinated by December 1.

Passengers must also now show proof of vaccinations or negative test results when boarding planes, trains and long-distance buses.

Will the UK be next to bring back a lockdown? ITV News Health Editor Emily Morgan explains why the answer is likely to be no

Only 21% of the country's 41 million people have been fully vaccinated.

Doctors complain that the country has been swept by a wave of false rumours about "implantation of chips" and that vaccines cause infertility and disease, while the black market has been thriving with fake Covid vaccination documents.

This is against a backdrop of an underfunded medical system, with one doctor explaining he has been forced to work 42 hours straight.

Dr Oleksandr Molchanov, an anesthesiologist-reanimatologist, told AP: "There are more and more patients, patients are in more severe conditions, we are working to our human limit."

"Every death leaves a mark on us," he added. "Some get new grey hair, some unstable mental conditions. It's hard every time. We are not robots, we are not made of steel."

Romania

Some Romanian morgues have become overrun amid a surge in Covid deaths. Credit: AP

Leaders implemented a curfew this month for those who do not have a Covid pass in Romania.

Anyone who cannot show proof of vaccination, recent recovery from the virus or a negative test must stay at home between the hours of 10pm and 5am.

Although infections have since dropped slightly, hospitals remain overwhelmed and medics are "exhausted financially, physically and psychologically," said doctor Catalin Cirstoiu.

In recent days, the bodies of those who died from Covid-19 lined a hallway at the main hospital in Bucharest because there was no more room in the morgue.

Part of a waiting room was transformed into an emergency ward, with the raising of a plastic sheet.

Dr Cirstoiu, the head of the Bucharest university emergency hospital, told the Associated Press: “A village vanishes daily in Romania. What about in a week or a month? A larger village? Or a city? Where do we stop?"

He insisted that “had 70% of the population been vaccinated, we wouldn’t have had a fourth wave."

Listen to the latest episode of ITV News's Coronavirus: What You Need To Know podcast:

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2021-11-20 12:01:21Z
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Joe Biden on Rittenhouse verdict: 'We must acknowledge that the jury has spoken' - ITV News

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The moment Rittenhouse hears verdict - BBC News BBC News
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2021-11-20 08:20:01Z
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Jumat, 19 November 2021

Austria to enter full national lockdown and bring in mandatory vaccinations - ITV News

ITV News Europe Editor James Mates reports from Austria, one of the continent's numerous Covid hotspots

Austria is to go into a nationwide lockdown next week amid a rise in Covid-19 cases, with mandatory vaccinations to be enforced from February.

The country had already announced a partial lockdown, applying to only unvaccinated people, but chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said further measures were needed to contain another wave of coronavirus cases.

The lockdown will start on Monday and initially last for 10 days. Students will have to go back into home schooling, restaurants will close and cultural events will be cancelled.

From February 2022, vaccinations will also become mandatory Austria's public broadcast ORF reported.

Covid rates vs vaccination rates across Europe

Why is Austria going back into lockdown?

In recent weeks, Austria has faced a worrying rise in infections.

The World Health Organisation reported 15,609 new cases on Thursday, up from 12,000 the week before.

Authorities are concerned rising infections and deaths will put hospitals under pressure during the winter months.

The country has one of the lowest vaccination rates in western Europe, with only around 65% of the total population fully vaccinated.

Back in the UK, Boris Johnson has warned a new wave of Covid could be coming to Britain from Europe.

The prime minister urged the public to get their booster jabs in order to combat the rise in cases seen in other parts of the continent.

Will the UK be next to bring back a lockdown? ITV News Health Editor Emily Morgan explains why the answer is likely to be no

Mr Johnson described "storm clouds" of a new coronavirus wave are gathering over parts of Europe.

"We have been here before and we remember what happens when a wave starts rolling in," he warned earlier this week.

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2021-11-20 00:03:21Z
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