Video: Vandals smash windows at Loosdrecht town hall, to be used as asylum shelter
Vandals smashed windows and entrance doors at the Wijdemeren town hall in Loosdrecht overnight. They also kicked over the fences in front of the building and smashed a traffic sign through a window, NOS reports. The building is set to be used as a temporary asylum shelter. The police arrested a suspect, according to ANP.
Witnesses told RTL Nieuws that the perpetrators removed paving stones from across the street and threw them through windows. Photos from the scene show that they also threw concrete blocks through the main entrance.
The vandalism follows multiple days of fierce protest against the planned shelter last week. The riot police had to intervene in each of the demonstrations, while protesters threw fireworks and stones at them. Multiple people were arrested, and one police officer was injured.
Due to the protests, the municipality adjusted its plans. The initial intention was to shelter 110 asylum seekers in the empty part of the town hall for six months, starting last week. Now, the municipality will allow the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) to shelter up to 70 people in the building for six months, starting on May 6 at the earliest.
The municipality called this arrangement “better suited to the local situation.” Another factor in postponing the shelter's opening was that the police in Loosdrecht would have insufficient capacity to ensure safety at the shelter while also deploying personnel to the King’s Day festivities and the subsequent festival week.
