Police scuffle with protesters at Amsterdam protest

Protesters and police scuffled in Amsterdam on Sunday as thousands of people defied a ban on mass gatherings for a demonstration against the Dutch government’s coronavirus lockdown measures.

Local authorities had outlawed the protest, saying police had indications some demonstrators were planning violence.

But large numbers of people ignored the ban.

Some unfurled banners with slogans such as “less repression, more care”, while others held signs demanding "freedom".

There was a heavy police presence on the square where the rally took place and in nearby streets.