Utrecht allows police to stop and frisk ahead of anti-asylum, anti-fascism protests

A part of Utrecht, including the city center, will be designated a security risk area on Sunday due to planned demonstrations, the mayor said in a council letter. Two groups have been assigned specific locations to protest, and marching through the city will not be permitted “for fear of disorder.” The security risk zone will be in effect from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., during which the police may conduct preventive searches.

One group has planned an anti-fascist march, while the other is the anti-immigration protest Nederland in Opstand (NIO). Although NIO has canceled its demonstration, the city is now preparing for potentially large numbers of independent demonstrators.

“These groups have no central organization or point of contact, which makes ensuring safety more difficult,” the municipality said. Some of these independent demonstrators are reported to be members of Defend Netherlands, a group that frequently organizes or attends anti-immigration protests.

The municipality has designated two sites for the protests: “Samen tegen Fascisme” (“Together Against Fascism”) will take place at Moreelsepark, while demonstrators originally scheduled for the NIO protest and other allied groups will gather at Park Paardenveld.

Alongside the “Samen tegen Fascisme” protest, socialist groups have announced a counter-demonstration. They say they aim to resist far-right and fascist violence, underlining their message: “Refugees are welcome, but Nazis are not.”

At previous demonstrations involving groups like Defend Netherlands, incidents occurred in which demonstrators threw fireworks, wood, and glass at counter-protesters and police. The most recent example was on October 14 in Houten. About 300 people took part, including members of Defend Netherlands, Freedom Fighters, and Harde Kern FCU. The protest was canceled once it became clear these groups would join, but seven arrests were still made for incitement, assault, and wearing face coverings.

AZC Alert Sliedrecht has also canceled its planned demonstration for this Saturday. Organizers cited safety concerns after reports that hooligans might attend to cause trouble and local youths could set off fireworks. On Facebook, they noted that while protests organized as part of the National Relay Protest have so far remained peaceful, they did not want Sliedrecht to face incidents similar to those at Malieveld in The Hague, where police cars were set on fire and several buildings were damaged.

“We wish things could have been different, but the topic is so socially sensitive that even a peaceful protest for people who, in our view, have legitimate concerns carries certain risks. It is with sadness that we have had to make this decision," the group said.