Intelligence service to investigate anti-asylum riot planning, support
The general intelligence service AIVD has launched an investigation into the recent anti-asylum riots in various places in the country, Minister Bart van den Brink of Asylum and Migration announced during a parliamentary debate, NOS reports. The intelligence service will look into whether these riots have more planning and support involved than concerned citizens showing up to protest.
The Minister could not elaborate much about what the investigation will entail. But he did say the AIVD is investigating whether there is “organization involved” between the various riots and “what patterns exist and what lies behind them.”
In recent weeks, there have been suspicions that some violent protests did not only involve concerned locals, but also people linked to far-right groups. Multiple protests against asylum shelters have devolved into violence in recent weeks, including around five this week alone.
On Tuesday, rioters set a new asylum shelter in Loosdrecht on fire with 14 asylum seekers inside. This followed multiple violent protests in the town in recent weeks. In Apeldoorn, the police have broken up violent protests for five nights in a row, arresting over 30 people, most for public violence and throwing fireworks. In Den Bosch, someone set off an explosive on the site where the municipality wants to open a shelter, and protesters have multiple times blocked traffic, including at least once on the highway.
During the debate, DENK MP Ismail el Abassi spoke of a “pattern of hatred and violence” being incited by MPs “on the right” of the political spectrum. Right-wing parliamentarians Gidi Marksuzower and Mona Keijzer participated in a protest in Loosdrecht last week. El Abassi also spoke of “anti-asylum center terrorism.”
Minister Van den Brink (CDA) said he rejected all violence, but did not want to call it terrorism because that classification concerns the motive of the perpetrators. “The Cabinet is not the institution to comment on that,” he said.
JA21 parliamentarian Simon Ceulemans and PVV leader Geert Wilders both blamed the Asylum Distribution Act for the violence. The Act allows the national government to oblige municipalities to take in a fair share of asylum seekers. It was implemented by the Rutte IV Cabinet after years of appealing to municipalities to open shelters did not produce sufficient results. The Schoof I Cabinet said it would abolish the law, but never got that far.
Ceulemans said that the policy is causing great unrest among “hardworking people” who are suddenly getting asylum seekers in their neighborhoods. Wilders said the Cabinet should repeal the Asylum Distribution Act and that “99 percent of people” protest peacefully.
Van den Brink responded that he was merely implementing the law that was passed by a majority vote in parliament and the Senate. If people want to object to that, they should do so through democratic means, he said.
PvdD parliamentarian Christine Teunissen said it was time to move away from the discussion about asylum reception. “We have a debate to hold about far-right violence.” According to her, mayors stick their necks out and are met with riots, vandalism, and threats. And from the Cabinet, they only get “deafening silence.”
Van den Brink said that he was in contact with various local politicians and plans to visit areas faced with riots.
