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Thousands of demonstrators march successful Utrecht, Netherlands, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, to protestation against COVID-19 restrictions and the lockdown. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

UTRECHT – Thousands of radical marched peacefully done the Dutch metropolis of Utrecht connected Saturday to protestation the government's coronavirus lockdown measures.

Holding balloons, umbrellas and banners, including ones that said: “It's not right,” protesters watched by a ample constabulary beingness moved from a parkland into the metropolis halfway without incident.

Siebke Koopman said helium was demonstrating against much than conscionable the Dutch government's COVID-19 restrictions.

”The privatization of the wellness attraction and education, the engagement successful the planetary conflicts that are thing to bash with the Netherlands, I deliberation we indispensable person much determination rights successful those things," helium said. "I deliberation that demonstrating is the lone mode to amusement our sentiment peacefully.”

The Dutch authorities imposed a partial lockdown 3 weeks agone and tightened it much a week agone arsenic COVID-19 infections remained the highest they person been since the commencement of the pandemic. Among the measures, each bars, restaurants and different nationalist venues including stores selling nonessential goods person to adjacent astatine 5 p.m.

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Dutch corruption rates this week began to easiness somewhat but stay adjacent to grounds highs.

A objection successful the larboard metropolis of Rotterdam soon aft the partial lockdown was announced past period degenerated into thoroughfare unit truthful aggravated that constabulary officers opened occurrence connected rioters.

Meanwhile, the Dutch nationalist wellness institute said Saturday that 18 passengers who flew backmost to the Netherlands from South Africa conscionable implicit a week agone tested affirmative for the omicron variant. The institute antecedently had said 14 tested affirmative for the caller mutation.

More than 600 passengers arrived from South Africa connected Nov. 26, the time the Dutch authorities imposed a prohibition connected flights from confederate Africa amid concerns astir omicron.

Travelers who had the caller variant had either mild symptoms oregon nary symptoms.

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Associated Press writer Mike Corder contributed from The Hague.

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