Far-Right riots in The Hague caused 55,000 euros in damage to Dutch parliament

The damage to the Binnenhof, the historic complex in The Hague that houses the Dutch Parliament, following last Saturday’s anti-immigration riots, is estimated at 55,000 euros, the Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning reports. Several historic windows at the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, were smashed.

The entrance gate of the construction site is so badly damaged that it needs to be replaced. In addition, the temporary fencing is causing extra costs. The Binnenhof is currently undergoing extensive renovations, which are expected to last until at least 2030.

The damage to the complex occurred when far-right rioters moved into the center of The Hague on Saturday after a demonstration at the Malieveld got out of hand. Windows were also smashed at the nearby D66 party office.

The Hague’s mayor, Jan van Zanen, described the events afterward as “not a demonstration, but intentional riots.” Police came under attack, and six journalists were injured by the rioters.

At least 37 individuals have been arrested. The first of these was tried and sentenced on Tuesday. Van Zanen indicated that additional arrests are expected in the coming days.

The authorities in The Hague did not expect the demonstration to get out of hand on this scale. “The available information did not lead us to expect a situation involving the scale and extreme level of violence that occurred,” said Van Zanen.

Although the mayor added that the city did expect a “violent confrontation” during the demonstration. As a precaution, four riot police platoons, water cannons, and police horses and dogs were already deployed.

Van Zanen described the situation as extremely dangerous, with a high risk of serious injury to officers, and referred to it as an “emergency situation.”