Turbulent Wednesday night as police end several parties across The Netherlands

The police once again put an end to several illegal parties on Wednesday night. In Hoofddorp in Noord-Holland and Tegelen in Limburg, large gatherings had been organized in empty business buildings. In Hoogersmilde in Drenthe, there was a fallout between police and young people who gathered around a burning car. 

In Hoofddorp, there were over 120 partygoers present. The event had been announced on social media earlier in the day and was to take place “in or near Amsterdam,” so the police had it on their radar. They ended the party around 1.30 a.m. According to local news sources, every visitor received a fine. 

Five arrests in Tegelen

Earlier in the evening, the police and the riot control unit ME also intervened in Tegelen in Limburg. A party had also been organized in a business building with around 40 attendees. The police first arrived around 5.30 p.m., but the organizers refused to cooperate and end the party. At 10 p.m., the riot control unit was deployed and broke up the crowd. 

Five people who did not have ID were arrested, writes local news source 1Limburg. The police have recorded the name of each visitor and will send them a fine. The municipality has closed the building. 

Other incidents

In Hoogersmilde in Drenthe, a group of around 30 young people gathered around a burning car. This violated coronavirus rules. The police also emphasized that no distance was being kept. When the police arrived to break the party up, they were attacked with fireworks. The riot control unit had to intervene, writes RTV Drenthe.

In other parts of the country, including Gouda and Groningen, fireworks-related incidents took place. In Gouda, a firework bomb exploded near a business building, while in Groningen, fireworks exploded on the roof of a house. The fire brigade had to take action in the Kollum in Friesland after fireworks had been thrown into an underground container.