Groningen police said on Wednesday night they ‘regret’ that demonstrators were hit with batons at an anti-gas protest in the province on Tuesday evening, adding that this was a ‘communication error’.

Videos circulating on social media show police officers hitting a woman who was sitting down with their batons. Police said at the time this was because the demonstrators had moved too close to a fence to a NAM tank centre, against earlier agreements.

Now, however, police said on Twitter that a ‘communication error in the chain of command had led police officers to use batons’. ‘The police regret this,’ the statement concluded.

Politie slaat hard op actievoerders #Zitactie #rtvnoord pic.twitter.com/E9XftikiMP

— Martin Drent (@martindrent) August 28, 2018

According to Code Red, the group campaigning against fossil fuels, one person was taken to hospital with concussion and another with injuries to their arm.