Shops in the center of The Hague are barricading themselves with wooden boards or closing due to fears that online calls for street protests could lead to looting and riots. The measures were taken after posts on Instagram, Telegram and Snapchat calling on young people to take to the streets in various Dutch cities.
It is not clear who is behind the accounts and how many people may join. No protest notice has been filed with the municipality of The Hague, but this does not reassure local shopkeepers. According to the television “EN OS“ concerns have been heightened by recent demonstrations in France, Belgium and Italy, which have escalated into large-scale riots with shops destroyed and looted.
Shop windows closed, Apple store emptied
Precautionary measures have been taken both in high-end goods and technology stores and in cosmetics and detergent chains. Some stores have covered their windows with wooden panels, and others have announced that they will not be open over the weekend.
The Apple store in The Hague has chosen to empty the building in advance. Distributed footage shows that no phones or laptops have been left in the store. The measures are part of traders' preparations amid fears that possible protests could be used for vandalism and theft.
Minister calls for calm
Dutch Interior Minister Pieter Heerma said he had received reports of "alarming messages" on the internet about plans for riots in some cities.
“Demonstrations are allowed in this country; that's a big advantage. But behave yourself and make sure you don't get involved in riots,” said Pieter Heerma.Despite the measures taken, some traders hope that the fears will not come true. "I hope nothing happens, but with social media things can develop very quickly," said one of them.
So far, it has been confirmed that preventive measures have been taken by shops in The Hague, while the size of the possible protests and the risk of riots remain unclear.
Sources: bta.bg, nos.nl