Over €700,000 in damages from riots at Eritrean gathering in The Hague

Over 700,000 euros in damages were caused during riots at the Opera venue in The Hague on February 17. Riot police vehicles represent the largest cost item. On Monday, the court heard 86 claims for damages against a group of Eritrean suspects. Last week, they were sentenced to 12 months in prison. The victims want to hold each of the ten suspects responsible for the total damage.

The disturbances on and around Fruitweg happened around a meeting of the Eritrean community. Opponents of the Eritrean regime attacked the Hague event center, where supporters of the regime were gathered for a belated New Year’s Eve party. Responding police officers were pelted with stones. Dozens of cops were injured. A riot police commander was hit in the face with a stone, causing her to lose a front tooth. Cars and a coach went up in flames. The facade of the conference center also caught fire.

“400 to 500 men stormed the conference center with baseball bats, hockey sticks, and iron bars,” said the lawyer representing 66 police officers from The Hague and Rotterdam. A large number of them got hurt in the riots. According to the cops, it could easily have turned into a blood bath. “The police are used to a lot, but this went beyond everyone’s imagination. Knives and machetes were also spotted. It felt like a war situation, with fighters making primal sounds and egging each other on like animals.”

“This should never have happened,” one of the suspects said during the last day of hearings in the case. “Our anger is directed against the regime in Eritrea and its supporters who abuse their right to be here. We want the Dutch government to investigate this.” The suspects asked for a ban on gatherings in support of the regime from which they fled.

The Federation of Eritrean-Dutch Communities (FEN) has said it supports such an investigation. The FEN also wants the “terrorist group Brigade Nhamedu" to be banned. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the suspects are part of the organization that has been threatening Eritrean parties and gatherings for three years. According to the FEN, this has resulted in "much reputational damage" for the Eritrean community in the Netherlands

The court will rule in the case on July 19.