For the second day in a row riot police used water canon to break up an illegal demonstration by anti-coronavirus measure campaigners in Amsterdam’s museum district.

Campaign group Nederland in Verzet had called for the demonstration – ostensibly to drink a cup of coffee for freedom – in defiance of mayor Femke Halsema’s ban. The city had said the demonstration could be held in the Arenapark but the demonstrators came to Museumplein nevertheless.

On Saturday too, police broke up a demonstration and march, arresting 58 people in the process.

Elsewhere in the city, some 500 people attended a peaceful demonstration to mark International Day against Racism. That demonstration was held in the city’s Westerpark and passed off without any problems.

The demonstration was attended by a broad spectrum of different groups. ‘It is great that so many different people come together and let their voice opposing the far right be heard,’ Tayfun Balcik from the organizing committee Comité 21 March, told broadcaster NOS. This is especially important because the far right grew so much in last week’s general election, he said.

Far right groups now have 28 of the 150 seats in the lower house of parliament.