The political risks of lockdown in the Netherlands and Germany

Early this week, serious riots took place in the Netherlands in connection with the protests against the newly established “corona-curfew”. According to police reports, hundreds of people in several cities roamed the streets in large groups, attacking not only police officers and the shops, but also hospitals and a COVID-19 test centre. Around 400 hundred people were arrested during in the past couple of nights.
In parallel, a new survey in Germany showed that the sentiment of the population is changing: the latest ARD-DeutschlandTrend shows that people increasingly perceive lockdown measures as a burden. Moreover, this is the first time that the majority is not satisfied with the Federal government’s work to fight COVID-19: the percentage share increased from 37% in December 2020 to 54% in January 2021.