Dutch riot police broke up an anti-immigration and asylum policy protest in The Hague on Saturday after about 500 far-right demonstrators threw projectiles and fireworks at officers.
Local authorities ended the demonstration because of continued violence and ordered protesters away from Malieveld park in the city centre.
Officials condemn slogans and violence
Prime Minister Rob Jetten said on X that demonstrators had deliberately sought confrontation with police and chanted what he called abhorrent far-right and antisemitic slogans.
Justice Minister David van Weel condemned reports of Hitler salutes, antisemitic slogans, violence against police and fireworks thrown at riot officers. He called for hardline action and thanked officers for helping maintain the democratic rule of law.
What we know now
- Police said 24 people were arrested.
- Officers used baton charges, police dogs and water cannon to disperse the crowd.
- The planned march through The Hague was banned after violence began.
- Further police investigations were underway.
What happened at the rally
The event, called “Wij zijn het volk”, or “We are the people”, was organised to protest Dutch government policies, particularly on immigration. Protesters had planned to march through The Hague before local authorities prohibited the march when violence started.
A person at the rally was seen giving a Hitler salute, while a truck used as a stage displayed a screen reading “The Netherlands is for the Dutch”, according to the Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau. Protester Thijs Jansen, a 31-year-old mechanic, told AFP that he believed the country was being lost to mass migration.
Earlier unrest in The Hague
The clashes came a year after Dutch police used water cannon to disperse another anti-immigration rally in The Hague. A police car was set on fire during those clashes, and the headquarters of the centrist D66 party was attacked. Read the context: Giorgia Meloni criticizes protesters amid clashes following death of Moroccan man in police custody.
Jetten, whose party headquarters was attacked during that earlier unrest, is now prime minister.
What happens next
Police said further investigations into the violence were underway.
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