A protest against immigration and asylum policies in The Hague, Netherlands, escalated into violent clashes with police on Saturday. Around 500 far-right demonstrators pelted officers with projectiles and fireworks, prompting riot police to intervene with baton charges and dogs, according to AFP.
Local authorities said the demonstration was ended due to continued violence, and protesters were escorted away from Malieveld park in the city centre. Police arrested 24 people and deployed water cannon to disperse the rioters. Further investigations are underway. The rally, organised under the slogan "Wij zijn het volk" ("We are the people"), was meant to protest the Dutch government's immigration policies. Protesters had planned to march through The Hague, but local authorities banned it once violence broke out.
Prime Minister Rob Jetten said on X that demonstrators deliberately sought confrontation with police and chanted "abhorrent" far-right and antisemitic slogans. Justice Minister David van Weel condemned the violent scenes and slogans. "Identical images from the Malieveld. Hitler salutes, antisemitic slogans, violence against the police and throwing fireworks at the riot squad," he posted on X. "It is important that hardline action is taken against this." He also thanked police officers for helping to maintain the democratic rule of law.
According to the country's largest national news agency, Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau (ANP), someone at the rally was seen giving a Hitler salute, while a truck serving as a stage displayed a screen reading "The Netherlands is for the Dutch." Protester Thijs Jansen, a 31-year-old mechanic, told AFP: "We're losing our country. We're literally losing our country to mass migration."
Saturday's unrest came a year after Dutch police used water cannon to disperse another anti-immigration rally in The Hague. A police car was then set on fire in clashes between black-clad protesters and police, as the headquarters of the centrist D66 party were attacked. Its leader, Rob Jetten, is now prime minister.
Source: www.aljazeera.com