A protest in the Netherlands turned violent as thousands of people gathered in The Hague city and confronted security forces on September 20.
About 1,500 people, mostly against immigration, blocked highways, waved flags and called for stronger immigration and divorce policies. The situation quickly escalated when some people threw rocks and bottles at the police and burned a commando vehicle, forcing the authorities to use pepper and dragon fruit hoses to control.
According to local media, the excessists also sabotaged the office of the D66 party. A small group sought to approach the parliament building under construction but were stopped by police. Authorities confirmed 30 arrests and two police officers were injured, and did not rule out the possibility of more arrests after reviewing security cameras.
D66 leader Rob Jetten posted on social media that attacks on the political faction were unacceptable threats and affirmed that he would not let extreme rebels harm the country.
Interim prime minister Dick Schoof wrote in X that he viewed it as a shocking and strange image of dishonest violence, while emphasizing that police and prosecutors would bring the perpetrators to justice.
The protest comes as the Netherlands prepares for a general election on October 29. Previously, anti-immigration activist Geert Wilders withdrew his party from the ruling coalition due to disagreements on immigration policy, allowing the election to be held sooner.
According to the poll results, Mr. Wilders' party is leading. In his statement, Mr. Wilders condemned acts of violence against police and emphasized that this was completely unacceptable.
