Read the clause.

during the long winter, the harsh restrictions provoked anger and outrage in the public.

what is the best way to describe this clause?

it is dependent because it has a subject and a verb.
it is independent because it has a subject and a verb.
it is dependent because it expresses a complete thought.
it is independent because it expresses a complete thought.

It is independent because it expresses a complete thought.

Explanation:

A clause is a group of related words that have at least a subject and a verb, and it can be either dependent or independent. When a clause is dependent, it does not express a complete thought, so they need another clause to rely on; but when it is independent, the clause expresses a complete thought. The sentence provided is an independent clause because of that reason: It is not incomplete, it can stand alone as a sentence and by reading it, we can fully understand it because it expresses a complete thought.

never read it so if i had i would definitely you sorry.