Online conspiracies fuel Dutch Covid unrest

Demonstrators take part in a protest against new restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19 in the Hague on Nov 26, 2021, amid the pandemic. Dutch authorities blamed the riots on a variety of culprits, ranging from frustrated youths to football hooligans and genuine coronavirus protesters – but they also underlined the importance of social media in organising them. — AFP

THE HAGUE: When Covid riots rocked the Netherlands for the second time in a year, Ricardo Pronk was there to livestream it all to his followers on social media.

The 50-year-old anti-vaccination activist administered a Facebook group with 10,000 followers, which had shared a call for a demonstration in the port city of Rotterdam on Nov 19 that later turned violent.