September 21, 2025 | 05:38 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - At least 30 people have been arrested in a riot that erupted during an anti-immigrant demonstration in The Hague, Netherlands. The violence resulted in two police officers being injured, according to a joint statement from the mayor, the local police chief, and the prosecutor.
Dutch police used water cannons to disperse the anti-immigration demonstrators after some protestors began throwing bottles and stones at the police.
"We are facing an unprecedented explosion of violence. Peaceful demonstrations had to be disbanded because the safety of the participants could no longer be guaranteed," said The Hague Mayor Jan van Zanen, as quoted by the Algemeen Dagblad and reported by Antara.
According to the mayor, the rioters came from various regions of The Netherlands and attacked police, police horses, and even journalists.
The Hague Police Chief Karin Krukkert stated that approximately 30 people were arrested, primarily for acts of violence against authorities. Some remain in custody, while others have been released, with the possibility of more arrests to follow. Krukkert added that the two injured officers are in stable condition.
The riot broke out on Saturday during a protest against the Dutch government's immigration policy. Clashes with police escalated and spread to various parts of the city.
Protest Precedes Snap Election
Held just one month before a national election, the demonstration was organized by right-wing activist Els Rechts, who has campaigned against asylum seekers and for fairer housing policies in the Netherlands, as reported by Al Jazeera.
During the protest, rioters set a police car on fire and threw stones at authorities, prompting police to deploy water cannons to disperse the crowd.
Although the main protest was disbanded, several aggressive groups remained near the station, continuing to provoke authorities. Police, equipped with batons, pursued and arrested the remaining agitators.
According to Dutch media, thousands of people participated in the protest. Rioters also smashed ground-floor windows at the headquarters of the Democrat 66 (D66) Party and set fire to garbage cans near the entrance.
Witnesses reported that a group of people gathered at the party's office, shouting demands for the closure of refugee centers across the country.
Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right Freedom Party (PVV), was invited to the protest but chose not to attend. In a post on X, he condemned the violence, writing, "Blocking the highway and violence against the police is totally, absolutely unacceptable."
Dutch voters are scheduled to go to the polls on October 29 in a snap election triggered by the dramatic collapse of the far-right government coalition.
In June, Wilders announced his party's withdrawal from the 11-month-old coalition, led by former Prime Minister Dick Schoof, stating that the three other parties failed to support his plans to curb asylum for refugees.
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