About 20 trucks blocked access to the Binnenhof (Parliament) in the Hague on Saturday, in protest against health measures related to the Coronavirus, according to NOS public radio.
Police said the trucks were parked at the Buitenhof, a square next to the Dutch parliament, and that officers were negotiating with the protesting truckers. Vehicles bearing Dutch flags as well as the flags of Friesland and Brabant provinces were also present in the area, Belga news agency reported.
The city’s authorities posted a message on Twitter calling on the protesters to park their vehicles at the ADO Den Haag football stadium. “Measures will be taken against those who ignore police instructions and break traffic rules,” they said.
The protest has rendered The Hague’s city centre inaccessible, according to Belga.
The truckers are involved in what they call a “Freedom Convoy Netherlands,” similar to other protests copied from the Canadian model. Protesters were reportedly on their way from other Dutch provinces despite a ban on blockades.
In France, a “freedom convoy” was also reported to have reached the gates of Paris on Saturday morning, with some of its participants planning to drive on to Brussels and its European Quarter.
The Belgian authorities have banned access to the capital, Belga reported.
