Asylum seeker centers cancel open day after recent violent protests

An asylum seeker's center in Hoofddorp and two in Amsterdam are not taking part in the open day on Saturday after being advised to stay closed by the police, a spokesperson for the asylum seekers center Noord-Holland Zuid has confirmed. A report from the NOS stated that the decision came after incidents of unrest at the centers.

The spokesperson would not discuss the specific reasons that the asylum seeker centers are not participating in the open day, which gives nearby residents and other interested people the chance to visit the asylum seeker centers.

Several other asylum seeker centers will also remain closed, according to a spokesperson for the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers, the COA. However, she does not have immediate information on how many or which locations are affected and will provide an update later.

Caretaker Prime Minister Dick Schoof called it “unacceptable” that protests against the arrival of an asylum seeker center sometimes escalate into violence, as happened Thursday evening in Doetinchem. “Stay calm,” the nonpartisan prime minister urged during his weekly press conference following the cabinet meeting.

There was another protest against the asylum reception center in Hoofddorp on Wednesday evening. A counter-protest was planned, during which a group of young people became involved. They threw fireworks and stones, leading to seven arrests.

Demonstrations in several municipalities during meetings about the arrival of asylum seeker centers (AZCs) have also been tense. A commonly heard slogan at these actions is “AZC, weg ermee” (“Get rid of the AZC”).

Schoof also addressed the The Hague, where a demonstration for stricter asylum policies escalated into what the prime minister called “far-right extremist violence.” The cabinet had initially hesitated to use that term but did so after being pressed. Schoof said it was important to identify the events as “ideologically motivated violence.”

The prime minister declined to draw a direct connection between statements by politicians and the actions of the rioters in The Hague. “What is certain is that words matter,” he said, while also expressing satisfaction that during this week’s parliamentary debate “the far-right extremist violence was broadly condemned.”

Schoof stressed the “great responsibility” carried by both politicians and society. “Debate is allowed, and demonstrations are allowed. But always about content, with respect for others, and without violence, destruction, or extremist expressions.”

More than 180 reception centers are participating in the open day, which coincides with National Neighbors Day. “By opening our doors on Neighbors Day, we invite local residents to meet the residents and staff of the COA location,” the COA said.