Hague alderman assaulted by entrepreneur at city council meeting

The Hague alderman Robbert Barker (PvdD) was assaulted by an angry entrepreneur at a city council meeting on Thursday evening. The reason for the punch was not immediately apparent, Omroep West reported. The debate was regarding the city’s zoning plan including tiny beach houses in Kijkduin and Scheveningen.

“You might notice that I’m a little upset,” Barker said during the meeting. “That’s because I just got hit by that entrepreneur. That’s not great. That’s why I’m having some trouble answering, but I’m doing my best.”

Mayor Jan van Zanen said he and several others witnessed the assault. The entrepreneur was asked to leave the room, and he did. “I find it all extremely sad, but there are emotions at play. I hope we can return to business as usual, no matter how difficult and complicated it may be,” the mayor said.

During the city council meeting, entrepreneurs who operate beach houses on Kijkduin and Scheveningen expressed their concerns that their houses weren’t included in the zoning plan that the city council debated with Barker that evening. The CDA submitted a motion to include the tiny beach houses, and the council adopted the motion.

At the end of the meeting, D66 faction leader Marieke van Doorn returned to the incident. “We would like to express support for alderman Barker,” she said. “We saw that he was distraught just now. It is unacceptable that he must do his job this way.” The statement was met with laoud approval in The Hague city council.