Police clash with protesters in The Hague

The police clashed with participants in an unannounced demonstration in various places in The Hague city center on Sunday. One protester was arrested. Police officers will press charges for the violence used against them. No cops were injured. The police did not say whether any demonstrators sustained injuries.

Protesters started gathering in various places in The Hague city center early in the afternoon, including on Grote Marktstraat, on the Spui, and in Archipelbuurt. About 150 protesters had gathered in the Archipelbuurt, the police said. They scattered when they saw the police approach.

About 80 of them ran into the Repelaerpark, where cops were waiting for them. They turned around and found more police officers at their back. "The officers wanted to keep the group briefly in the park, pending a decision on whether or not to allow the demonstration," the police said. "However, the group turned on the officers and used violence in an attempt to break out."

Hague mayor Jan van Zanen decided that the demonstration could happen on the Malieveld. Once protesters were led there, the rest of the demonstration happened without incident.

What the demonstrators were protesting, is not clear, a police spokesperson said to NU.nl. According to Omroep West, some of the protesters were wearing shirts with the text "hart voor vrijheid", or "heart for freedom" in English.