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Dutch riots violent, Danes burn PM effigy

AAP
An effigy representing the Danish Prime Minister is set alight by protesters in Copenhagen.
Camera IconAn effigy representing the Danish Prime Minister is set alight by protesters in Copenhagen.

Anti-lockdown riots have again turned violent in the Netherlands, while in Denmark two men have been accused of burning an effigy of the prime minister in protest of the coronavirus restrictions.

Rioters in the the Dutch city of Eindhoven started fires and pelted rocks at police on Sunday at a banned protest against lockdown measures.

Police arrested at least 30 people in Eindhoven and used tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds.

In Amsterdam, police also used a water cannon at a major protest at a city square for the second straight Sunday.

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It was the worst violence to hit the Netherlands since the pandemic begun, coming a day after anti-curfew rioters torched a coronavirus testing facility in the Dutch fishing village of Urk.

In Denmark, two men were arrested on Sunday for allegedly threatening Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen during a protest.

An effigy of Frederiksen was hung from a lamppost and set alight at the protest in Copenhagen on Saturday evening. A sign with the words "She must and should be killed" hung from the effigy, police said.

The two suspects, aged 30 and 34, were to face a pre-trial custody hearing, according to police.

Five other protesters were briefly detained on Saturday following unrest and clashes with police, after the main demonstration had ended.

The protest was staged by a group called Men in Black, which opposes the government's measures to stem the coronavirus.

Meanwhile in Europe, Germany on Sunday began enforcing tighter border restrictions for countries with high infection rates, including Spain.

Italy will take legal action against Pfizer Inc and AstraZeneca over delays in deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines to secure agreed supplies rather than seek damages.

The EU has also warned vaccine manufacturers of possible legal consequences after they announced delays and smaller deliveries due to supply chain issues.

And Israel's government has voted to all but entirely shut down the country's only international airport in a bid to prevent the arrival of new coronavirus variants.

-with AP, dpa

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