The Hague:
At least four police officers were injured in the early hours of Sunday when rival groups of Eritreans fought battles in The Hague, setting police cars on fire and throwing stones.
Special police units fired tear gas at the rioters, who police said were pro- and anti-Eritrean government groups attending a rally in The Hague.
“During the riots, stones, fireworks and other objects were thrown at police officers and the fire brigade. Several rioters had weapons with which they could hit people,” police said.
The rioters set fire to two police cars and a tour bus. During the disturbances, two officers suffered injuries to their hands and another to her teeth. A fourth was hit by a police car in the chaos.
Eritreans in The Hague. pic.twitter.com/RnbASFWSfE
— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) February 17, 2024
“Out of nowhere, our colleagues were confronted with very intense and serious violence,” says police commander Marielle van Vulpen.
Police have made several arrests and called for witnesses and video footage as they investigate the riots.
“The violence against police officers and equipment is horrible and unacceptable,” says Mayor Jan van Zanen.
Anti-immigration far-right leader Geert Wilders posted images on social media of the riots with a caption in all capital letters: “Arrest and deportation.”
He then wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “The Netherlands has really had it here.”
“Why is half the world allowed to come here and tear down our country, fight among ourselves, throw rocks at the police and burn their cars?”
“I want to be the prime minister who finally brings some order to this,” added Wilders, who won elections in November but is struggling to form a coalition government.
According to official government figures, around 25,000 Eritreans live in the Netherlands.
Pro- and anti-government groups have clashed before, including last year when several people were stabbed ahead of an event celebrating Eritrean independence from Ethiopia.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)