The Dutch city of The Hague was reduced to a war zone when Eritrean immigrants attacked each other on the evening of February 17. Clashes broke out when opponents of Eritrean dictator Isaias Afwerki gathered in the city center to protest, and were later confronted by Afwerki supporters. The subsequent disorder left cars and buses burned and several police officers injured.
The chairwoman of the Dutch Police Union (NPB), Nine Kooiman, described the evening’s violence as “devastating and too idiotic for words,” while Ramon Meijerink of the Dutch policing union praised his colleagues for their courage in stepping forward “in difficult circumstances.”
Firefighters reported that they were unable to tackle a series of blazes as the rioters kept them at bay with violent attacks. A spokesman said the first responders were “pelted” and forced to withdraw from the scene.
It is not the first time the Netherlands has experienced factional violence between immigrants. Last May, riot police were deployed in the city of Rijswijk when a brawl broke out between Eritreans at a conference center. The violence started when a group gathered to celebrate Eritrea’s Independence Day, but other Eritrean immigrants objected to the celebrations. Further tension had previously been noted in Zaanstad and the Amsterdam suburb of Amstelveen.
Following the latest disorder, members of the country’s Parliament called on the Justice Ministry to provide answers as to why the violence spiraled out of control. In total, eight police officers sustained injuries, and there were thirteen arrests.
Geert Wilders, the firebrand leader of the Party for Freedom, which won the Dutch general election last year and fiercely opposes mass immigration, took to Twitter and asked, “Why is half the world allowed in here to tear down our country, fight mutual feuds, throw stones at police officers and set their cars on fire?”
Mr. Wilders is negotiating with fellow lawmakers to form a coalition government and promised to be the Prime Minister to restore order to the Netherlands.
