At least four police officers were injured early this morning during clashes in The Hague between rival groups of Eritrean citizens who torched police cars and threw stones at law enforcement, police said.
Special forces police units fired tear gas at those involved in the incidents, who authorities said were pro- or anti-Eritrea government groups attending a meeting in The Hague.
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Violent incidents broke out around the Opera House which was invaded by a group of immigrants.
Fierce clashes in The Hague – Citizens from Eritrea burned vehicles, injured police officers
“During the clashes, stones, fireworks and other objects were thrown at the police and firemen. Some of the rioters had weapons with them to attack the crowd,” the police said. Two patrol cars and a tourist bus were set on fire.
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During the riots, two policemen were injured in the hand, another in the teeth and a fourth was hit by a patrol car in the confusion.
“Our colleagues were confronted with very intense and serious incidents of violence,” said Mariel van Fulpen, head of the police.
Arrests in The Hague incidents – “Shocking violence”
Police have made arrests and appealed to eyewitnesses to come forward and those who may have taken video of the incidents to provide them to the authorities as part of the ongoing investigation.
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“The violence against police officers and their equipment is shocking and unacceptable,” said the city’s mayor, Jan van Zaanen.
“Arrest and deport” says the far-right leader in the Netherlands
Far-right, anti-immigration leader Geert Wilders posted images of the incidents on social media with a caption written in capital letters: “Arrest and deport”.
“Why are half the world allowed to come here to destroy our country, fight each other, throw rocks at the police and set police cars on fire?” then wrote to X.
“I want to be the prime minister who finally puts all this in order,” added Wilders, who won the November election but cannot form a coalition government.
About 25,000 Eritrean nationals live in the Netherlands, according to official government figures.
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