THE HAGUE, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Monday condemned the violence and riots in various Dutch cities on Sunday night against the COVID-19 lockdown measures and the introduction of a curfew.

"This is unacceptable," Rutte said. "This is criminal violence. Any normal person can only become aware of this with horror."

The greatest damage on Sunday night was caused in the city of Eindhoven in the southern Netherlands. Rioters caused large-scale destruction in the center of the city and shops near the station were looted. This happened after the police had ended an illegal protest against the anti-virus measures with the use of tear gas. A total of 55 people have been arrested so far by the police.

A medical center in Enschede in the eastern Netherlands was pelted. Earlier on Sunday, dozens of people had gathered in downtown Enschede for a demonstration. The atmosphere was tense and fireworks were set off.

In Amsterdam, the riot police ended an anti-lockdown demonstration on Sunday afternoon with the help of water cannons. A total of 100 people were arrested.

Riots also took place in other cities and towns like The Hague, Tilburg, Venlo, Roermond, Helmond, Breda, Arnhem and Apeldoorn from Sunday afternoon until late in the evening.

To fight against the spread of COVID-19, the Dutch government had ordered a curfew from 9 p.m. and 4:30 a.m., starting on Saturday night. The curfew came on top of the current lockdown out of fears for the spread of the coronavirus variant first detected in Britain, although the current infection figures in the Netherlands showed a decline. Enditem

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