Police have arrested 24 people after an anti-immigration demonstration in The Hague organised by a far-right group turned violent.
Several hundred people gathered near Centraal Station at around 11am for the demonstration organised by a group calling itself Wij Zijn Het Volk, meaning “We are the people”.
The protest took place exactly one year after a similar demonstration in the city ended in serious riots.
Some protesters covered their faces with balaclavas, scarves and masks. Nazi salutes were also seen during the demonstration, while some people carried banners with racist slogans including “remigratie” and “blanke mannen vooraan”, meaning “white men first”.
Acting mayor Richard de Mos ordered riot police to clear the Malieveld after some demonstrators attacked police and refused earlier orders to remove their face coverings.
Rioters reportedly threw smoke bombs and fireworks at police. Traffic poles were also pulled from the ground, with at least one reportedly thrown towards officers.
Police used dogs, pepper spray and batons to push the crowd back towards Centraal Station. Order was restored by around 3.30pm.
The violence was less severe than during a similar protest a year earlier, when around 1,000 rioters reportedly set police cars on fire, blocked the A12 motorway and smashed windows at the offices of political party D66.
Justice minister David van Weel described the scenes as “atrocious” in a post on X, while De Mos said the violence against police had “crossed a line”.
“Hitler salutes, anti-Semitic chants, violence against police and fireworks thrown at riot squad officers,” Van Weel said. “It’s important that these people are dealt with severely.”
“That is why we cancelled the march and only allowed a demonstration on the Malieveld,” De Mos said. “When the violence continued, it was necessary to put an end to it.”
