The truckers’ demonstration against the coronavirus rules in the centre of The Hague ended peacefully on Saturday afternoon, after police ordered them to leave the area.

By 4.30 pm the blockade of the parliamentary complex had ended, and by 5pm the last few demonstrators were escorted out of the city, website Nu.nl reported.

The demonstration had been largely without problems although several drivers were fined for not complying with traffic rules and two people were arrested after a minor incident, Nu.nl said.

Lorry and van drivers blocked the entrance to the parliamentary complex in The Hague on Saturday morning, in an anti-coronavirus measures protest inspired by the ‘freedom convoys’ in Canada and Paris.

Some 200 vehicles took part in the protest, which disrupted traffic and public transport, NOS said. The police called on members of the public to avoid the city centre if possible.

The protestors said they were demonstrating against the coronavirus rules, such as face masks and entry passes, as well as climate and farming regulation.

‘We want our freedom back,’ one woman told NOS. ‘Far too much of our freedom has been taken away in recent times.’

On Sunday, another demonstration organised by anti-coronavirus rules groups will also take place in The Hague.