Police made several arrests and requested witnesses and video footage.
The Hague:
Rival Eritrean groups burned police cars and threw rocks during fierce fighting in The Hague early Sunday morning, injuring at least four police officers.
SWAT units fired tear gas at rioters, who police said were pro-Eritrean and anti-Eritrean government groups attending a conference in The Hague.
The police said, “During the riots, stones, fireworks and other objects were thrown at the police and fire brigade. Some rioters were armed and hit people.”
Rioters set fire to two police cars and a tour bus. During the commotion, two police officers suffered injuries to their hands and another suffered injuries to his teeth. A fourth person was hit by a police car during the chaos.
Eritreans in The Hague. pic.twitter.com/RnbASFWSfE
— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) February 17, 2024
“Our colleagues were suddenly exposed to very intense and severe violence,” said police commander Marielle van Vulpen.
Police have made several arrests and are requesting witnesses and footage as they investigate the disturbance.
“The violence against police officers and equipment is shocking and unacceptable,” the city’s mayor, Jan van Zanen, said.
Anti-immigration far-right leader Geert Wilders posted images of the riot on social media with the headline in capital letters: “Arrests and deportations.”
He then wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “The Netherlands has definitely done this.”
“Why are half the world allowed to come here and tear down our country, fight each other, throw rocks at police and set fire to their cars?”
“I want to be the prime minister who finally brings some order to this matter,” added Wilders, who won elections in November but is struggling to form a coalition government.
According to official government figures, approximately 25,000 Eritreans live in the Netherlands.
Pro-government and anti-government groups have clashed before, including last year when several people were stabbed ahead of events celebrating Eritrea’s independence from Ethiopia.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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