Video: Angry mob throw burning torches, eggs at town hall in asylum center protest

A protest against an asylum shelter in Berlicum escalated at the Sint-Michielsgestel town hall on Thursday evening. Protesters threw burning torches at the town hall and smeared its windows with eggs. The police arrested a man who placed a cobra - a dangerous firework often used in explosive attacks - at the door of the town hall, Omroep Brabant reports.

Around 300 demonstrators gathered outside the Sint-Michielsgestel town hall during the regular municipal council meeting, which was not about the asylum shelter this week. The group expressed their dissatisfaction with horns, sirens, fireworks, and banners.

They criticized the municipality’s communication about the plans to open a shelter for asylum seekers in Blaricum, a town that falls under the municipality of Sint-Michielsgestel, and raised concerns about the quality of life in the town.

The police and enforcement officers initially only kept an eye on the protest but intervened when a man placed an explosive at the town hall’s entrance at around 9:00 p.m. The situation quickly escalated, a correspondent told Omroep Brabant. A fight ensued, ending with about ten police officers jumping on top of the man with the cobra and taking him away in handcuffs. Peace returned at around 9:30 p.m., the correspondent said.

On Wednesday, locals also protested at an information meeting about the asylum center. They booed alderman Theo Geldens and called him a liar. The protesters threatened that more demonstrations would follow, telling Omroep Brabant that “this will not stop here.”