On Saturday, protests in The Hague turned violent as Dutch police clashed with anti-immigration demonstrators. Officers utilized tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd, which had blocked highways and caused chaos throughout the city.
Reportedly, around 1,500 protesters participated, with thirty arrests made and two officers injured amidst unrest that saw protesters hurling rocks and bottles. A police vehicle was also set ablaze during the turmoil, prompting a firm condemnation from Prime Minister Dick Schoof, who called the violence shocking and bizarre.
Besides, Geert Wilders, a prominent right-wing leader, was invited to address the crowd but chose not to attend. Instead, he denounced the violent actions against police as utterly unacceptable, branding the perpetrators as idiots.
The organizer of the protest rallied for tougher migration policies amid the ongoing tension surrounding asylum seekers in the Netherlands. Clashes escalated dramatically as protesters, many waving Dutch flags linked to far-right groups, confronted law enforcement.
In the course of the unrest, windows of the center-left D66 party's headquarters were smashed. D66 leader Rob Jetten spoke out against the attack, urging protesters to avoid intimidation tactics, stating, If you think you can intimidate us, tough luck. We will never let extremist rioters take away our beautiful country. Thankfully, no one was in the offices at the time of the incident.
The violent protests stemmed from rising tensions within the Dutch government, which collapsed in June after Wilders withdrew his far-right party from the ruling coalition over a dispute regarding immigration reforms, including stricter asylum policies.
