Fair near Amersfoort shut down after police attacked with stones; Two arrested
The annual fair in Hoogland, a village near Amersfoort, was shut down immediately on Friday night after multiple violent incidents erupted, culminating in coordinated attacks on police officers. Authorities responded in force, arresting at least two people as tensions escalated and law enforcement officers were pelted with stones and other objects, NOS reports.
The unrest began around 9:30 p.m., when large-scale fighting broke out near the fairgrounds along Hamseweg. As dozens of officers arrived to intervene, the aggression shifted toward police. Law enforcement was met with volleys of stones and other projectiles, prompting the deployment of reinforcements. Police carried out several charges in an attempt to restore order.
Following the escalation, police arrested multiple individuals. While calm has now reportedly returned to the area, the fairgrounds will remain closed for the remainder of the event’s scheduled run. The fair had opened Wednesday and was originally set to operate through Sunday, May 11.
The exact cause of the unrest remains under investigation. However, Sebastiaan Vonk, the event’s organizer, believes the situation spiraled from an earlier confrontation involving a young girl who was denied entry due to a temporary ban. "She had a one-day ban from the fair but managed to get in anyway," Vonk told NOS. She was removed, tried to enter again, and was then given a one-week ban. She didn’t accept that and returned with a larger group."
Vonk said the violent clashes occurred outside the actual fairground and argued that the fair itself was not to blame. "Yesterday we closed early, but today we’ll continue as planned," he stated, before authorities ordered the complete shutdown.
The unrest in Hoogland follows a string of similar incidents at other fairs across the region. In Houten, the fair was shut down early due to disturbances, while fights broke out in Zeist, and property was vandalized in the Utrecht neighborhood of Overvecht.
Security has been tightened at many of these events in response to the uptick in violence, resulting in higher costs for both organizers and visitors. Still, Vonk, who organizes multiple fairs across the Netherlands, claims the root issue lies not with the events but with the behavior of teenagers.
"It has nothing to do with the fair," he told NOS. "It’s the target group—ages 12 to 18—that’s disrupting society everywhere. Youths who think they live in a free state. We have a problem with authority and a lack of proper upbringing."
