The Hague, Jun 21 (AP) Dutch police charged hundreds of what they called soccer fans with horses and a water cannon in The Hague at a protest Sunday and warned people to stay away from the city center.

"This has nothing to do with a normal demonstration,” The Hague police said in a Twitter message. “The atmosphere is grim.”

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It was unclear exactly how many people had gathered Sunday after The Hague mayor urged people during the week not to turn up for a weekend demonstration targeting the Dutch government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Helmeted police with shields were seen sealing off certain areas as a water cannon was making its way through. (AP)

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(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)