Fireworks thrown at Montferland municipal councillors discussing new asylum center
Protesters threw fireworks at municipal council members in ‘s-Heerenberg in Gelderland as they were heading into a meeting to discuss opening an asylum shelter, regional media reported. At least three councilors were targeted as they tried to enter the town hall in ‘s-Heerenberg, which falls under the municipality of Montferland.
Boris van Oosterom of Lijst Groot Montferland was one of them. “I can still only half hear. I have a ringing in my ear and I’m glad that paracetamol has been arranged. I’m dizzy and I don’t know yet whether I should have my ears checked,” he told De Geldelander.
Jenneke Laurense-Weidema of the same party was also one of the targets. “I said to my colleague: come, Boris, dive, dive, get out of here. And at that moment, pieces of fireworks hit my head. It was such a huge bang that I couldn't hear anything for a while and there’s still a ringing in my ears,” she said to Omroep Gelderland.
A group of about 30 people were waiting for the city councilors as they arrived to discuss the future asylum center. According to De Gelderlander, the police didn’t intervene because they considered the protest manageable and it was unclear who threw the fireworks. Mayor Harry de Vries said during the meeting that extra police officers had been called in to keep the protesters in check.
Montferland has to take in 250 asylum seekers and is discussing opening a shelter in the town of Didam. A group of residents has been vehemently and vocally opposing these plans for several weeks. They have several objections, including that they’d rather open a swimming pool at the intended location.
Outside the municipal council meeting on Monday, the group shouted slogans against asylum seekers through a megaphone. According to De Gelderlander, they also shouted texts against other things like “against the deployment of our children in wars” and against the police officers present.
