Police confront two protesters, one with a weapon, during the anti-lockdown demonstration on Sunday (Picture: PA)
Police confront two protesters, one with a weapon, during the anti-lockdown demonstration on Sunday (Picture: PA)

This is the terrifying moment a police dog mauled a Covid-19 anti-lockdown protester in Amsterdam during an outlawed march.

Thousands of people defied a ban on large gatherings as they took to the streets of the Dutch capital on Sunday in a violent demonstration against the strict measures in the country and vaccines.

Clashes erupted after the city’s mayor Femke Halsema issued an emergency ordinance empowering the force to clear the central Museum Square.

Shocking pictures and videos show police dogs gauging on protestors, sticking their sharp teeth in their limbs and dragging them on the asphalt.

Officers also slammed their batons and shields against the sea of bodies, and used water canons to disperse people.

Before the specialist force moved in, the angry mob unfurled a banner that read ‘Less repression, more care’ near the Van Gogh Museum in the city centre.

A group of people dressed in white overalls and masks also held up signs that read: ‘It’s not about a virus, it’s about control’ and on the other ‘Freedom’.

The Netherlands went into a sudden lockdown on December 19 to prevent a fresh wave of Omicron cases overwhelming its healthcare system.

Schools, non-essential shops, restaurants, bars, cinemas, museums and theatres were all closed, with plans not to reopen until at least mid-January.

In a sign of opposition against the government, anti-lockdown protestors and Covid-19 sceptics ignored the order not to hold a march and walked along the main square.

Most of them did not wear masks or abide by social distancing rules while they yelled, played music and held yellow umbrellas.

The demonstration also came on the same day when Dutch police said they would go on strike against the increasing demands of their work. 

Thousands of demonstrators gathered at Museumplein to protest against the Covid-19 measures (Picture: Getty)
Thousands of demonstrators gathered at Museumplein to protest against the Covid-19 measures (Picture: Getty)
Clashes erupted after the city's mayor Femke Halsema issued an emergency ordinance empowering the force to clear the central Museum Square (Picture: Getty)
Clashes erupted after the city’s mayor Femke Halsema issued an emergency ordinance empowering the force to clear the central Museum Square (Picture: Getty)
The municipality of the Dutch capital banned the protest, saying police had indications some demonstrators could be attending 'prepared for violence' (Picture: AP)
The municipality of the Dutch capital banned the protest, saying police had indications some demonstrators could be attending ‘prepared for violence’ (Picture: AP)

People also marched from Museumplein to Westerpark after the extreme right party Forum for Democracy called for its supporters to take to the street over the weekend.

They shared a video of a thousands-strong crowd on Twitter alongside a message that read: ‘Thousands of Dutch people are standing in the Westerpark today to stand up for our freedom.

‘A strong signal against the corona cartel and a hopeful picture for the future.

‘Let 2022 be the year of resistance, the year we take back our freedom!’

Following the lockdown, the number of positive Covid-19 cases dropped by 11% and the number of people hospitalized with the virus fell from 1,430 to 1,063.

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