Calm returns to The Hague after extensive riots outside Eritrean community party

Calm returned to the Fruitweg in The Hague on Saturday evening, where riots broke out during an event for the Eritrean community present in the Netherlands. The unrest happened after a confrontation between supporters of the Eritrean government and opponents who arrived at the Opera conference center. Eritreans who were present inside were enjoying a "very peaceful party" in the conference hall, and were unaware of the disturbances outside, said a spokesperson for the association of Eritrean communities in the Netherlands.

Inside, there was a belated New Year's party for a group of Eritreans, according to the spokesperson for the Federatie van Eritrese Gemeenschappen in Nederland. She said they "couldn't hold these kinds of meetings" for the past three years. She alleged the rioters are not Eritreans, but Ethiopians who caused the disturbances. She claimed they are angry because they have lost a recent war in the Tigray region. "And they have been expressing their anger with a lot of violence for three years."

The rioters injured several police officers and tactical officers, and set fire to police vehicles as well as private cars. There was also a fire in the conference center. Jan van Zanen, the mayor of The Hague, issued an emergency order after receiving several reports that young people from the Eritrean organization Brigade Nhamedu sought a confrontation.

Tear gas was used to disperse the unruly people, several of whom threw rocks at police officers. It is not known how many police officers were hurt. Fire trucks were also pelted during the riots. A fire brigade spokesman said mirrors and windows of three vehicles were damaged.

The conference center was also damaged, where the building's windows were smashed and a fire broke out in the building. That fire was extinguished inside the Opera building. The riot police set up in formation to protect the building. A tour bus was also set on fire, according to the fire department spokesperson. Those fires were brought under control.

Van Zanen gave police the authority to run the rioters out of the area, and the police deployment was scaled up. The rioters were eventually driven towards the Schilderswijk. The fire brigade was initially unable to tackle the fires because of safety concerns. It was "a very nasty situation. Fortunately, no one was injured," the fire department spokesperson said.

"We initially received a report of a police car that was on fire. We had to withdraw because the situation was not safe. Later, a police van was also on fire near the hall complex." Fire fighters were cornered and pelted with rocks again, and managed to pull out of the area. "We then placed fences on the windows of our vehicles so that we could still extinguish the fires."

Van Zanen called the violence used against the police on Saturday evening "appalling and unacceptable." The Eritreans who were gathered at Opera were led out under police escort. An ANP reporter at the scene witnessed the group leaving in buses from public transport company HTM. The group remained inside the conference center until almost 10:30 p.m.

The Eritrean spokesperson said police were informed a week ago about possible incidents and calls from opponents to descend on the event hall. She said the location of the event was kept secret until Saturday afternoon. "As a result, there was no direct confrontation between these two groups, but the police were able to stop everything," she said.

"The police and municipality were aware of the meeting in advance and the necessary measures were taken in consultation with the meeting center and the organizer of the meeting," according to a statement from Mayor Jan van Zanen. "On this basis, security was increased and the police put additional units on standby."

It is not the first time that riots have broken out at gatherings organized by members of the Eritrean community. Last May there was a massive brawl between supporters and opponents of the Eritrean government at a party center in Rijswijk. The riot police were also deployed to restore order. Pro- and anti-government Eritreans also sought confrontation elsewhere in Europe, including Sweden and Germany.

An estimated 27,000 Eritreans live in the Netherlands. They are often men, and frequently young men, who fled the dictatorship to avoid military service. According to Amnesty International, critics, journalists and activists abroad are often monitored and harassed by the regime.

"The Public Prosecution Service has set up a Large-Scale Investigation Team to prosecute perpetrators of this chaos. I would like to ask everyone who can contribute to the rapid identification of the perpetrators of this unacceptable and unnecessary violence to cooperate," Van Zanen said. The mayor said he was aware that meetings of the Eritrean community can lead to mutual tensions.

The mayor will evaluate the events of the evening with the Public Prosecution Service and the police. "I would like to express my admiration and gratitude for the professional efforts of all emergency services deployed tonight."