THE HAGUE — Dutch riot police dispersed about 500 far-right demonstrators Saturday who were protesting government immigration and asylum policies. The protesters pelted officers with projectiles and fireworks in central The Hague, leading to violent clashes.
Police deployed baton charges, dogs, and water cannon to control the crowd at Malieveld park. Authorities arrested 24 individuals during the demonstration.
The rally, organized by the group "Wij zijn het volk" (We are the people), aimed to oppose the Netherlands' immigration policies. Local authorities prohibited a planned march through the city after violence erupted and ordered the immediate dispersal of the gathering.
Prime Minister Rob Jetten condemned the demonstrators' actions, saying they deliberately sought confrontation with law enforcement. He said protesters chanted "abhorrent" far-right and antisemitic slogans.
Justice Minister David van Weel denounced the violence and rhetoric, citing Hitler salutes, antisemitic slogans, and the throwing of fireworks at riot police. He thanked police officers for maintaining democratic rule of law and called for stronger action against such behavior.
Thijs Jansen, a 31-year-old mechanic who attended the rally, told Agence France-Presse: "We're losing our country. We're literally losing our country to mass migration."
Video from the rally showed one individual giving a Hitler salute. A truck serving as a stage displayed a screen that read, "The Netherlands is for the Dutch."
Saturday's clashes echoed unrest a year earlier, when Dutch police used water cannon to break up another anti-immigration rally in The Hague. That incident involved a police car set ablaze and an attack on the headquarters of the centrist D66 party. Jetten was then the party's leader.
