BRUSSELS, 22 Nov. - (ANA)  - Europe is facing an increasingly violent backlash against fresh Covid restrictions imposed to deal with a record number of new cases on the Continent, as a fifth wave spreads at "lightning speed". 

 

Riot police used water cannons and tear gas as peaceful demonstrations turned ugly in Brussels last night, when tens of thousands of protesters marched through the streets. 

 

Demonstrators smashed the glass at the entrance to a European Commission building after young men in hoods attacked police vans with baseball bats. 

 

It came on another night of disorder in the Netherlands over the introduction of new coronavirus restrictions, after police opened fire on the crowds.

 

there were also violent scenes in Austria, Italy, Croatia, Denmark and Switzerland amid clampdowns by European governments on civil liberties to curb a steep increase in the number of infections that are putting healthcare systems under strain.

 

As Europe endured fresh violence, Sajid Javid, the British Health Secretary, insisted no such measures were necessary in Britain - saying he hoped people can "look forward to Christmas together". He played down the likelihood of tougher curbs being introduced in England and said booster vaccinations are now being considered for all adults. 

 

Austria will become the first country in western Europe to reimpose a full lockdown to tackle a new wave of Covid infections, and will require its whole population to be vaccinated as of February. 

 

Austria has one of the lowest vaccination-rates in western Europe. Austria introduced a lockdown for all those who were unvaccinated on Monday but since then infections have continued to set new records.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/22 November 2021 - - -