Riots continue in the Netherlands over COVID-19 curfew

For the third night in a row, riots broke out in the Netherlands on Monday as people angry over a new COVID-19 curfew clashed with police.

For the first time since World War II, the Netherlands has a curfew in place, from 9 p.m.to 4:30 a.m.; violators face a $115 fine. In The Hague on Monday night, groups of men threw rocks and fireworks at police officers, with some also setting fires, BBC News reports. In Rotterdam, after the crowd did not disperse, law enforcement fired warning shots and tear gas. More than 150 people were arrested across the country in connection with the riots.

The situation was worse on Sunday, when more than 250 people were arrested; Dutch police said they witnessed the worst unrest they've seen in 40 years. Prime Minister Mark Rutte condemned the rioting, saying it is "unacceptable. All normal people will regard this with horror. What motivated these people has nothing to do with protesting, it's criminal violence and we will treat it as such."

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To try to combat the coronavirus pandemic, bars and restaurants have been shuttered in the Netherlands since October, and non-essential stores and schools closed in December. The country has reported almost 1 million COVID-19 cases and more than 13,500 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus database.