Video: Rioters start fire at Loosdrecht asylum shelter with 15 asylum seekers inside
Rioters started a fire at an asylum shelter in Loosdrecht on Tuesday evening and tried to prevent the fire brigade from extinguishing it. There were 15 asylum seekers inside the building at the time. Prime Minister Rob Jetten called this new violent anti-asylum protest “utterly scandalous.” Other politicians and administrators also reacted with indignation. The police also intervened in anti-asylum protests in The Hague and Apeldoorn on Tuesday.
Around 400 protesters showed up at the emergency shelter in Loosdrecht on Tuesday, NOS reported. Midway through the evening, rioters started throwing fireworks and flares at the shelter, where 15 asylum seekers had arrived earlier in the day.
The explosives set fire to the bushes against the building. Rioters initially blocked the fire brigade, according to the municipality of Wijdemeren, which covers Loosdrecht. When firefighters were eventually able to reach the blaze, they quickly extinguished it. The asylum seekers and COA employees inside the building did not sustain injuries.
Acting mayor Mark Veheijen issued an emergency decree, and the riot police broke up the protest and cleared the area. They arrested multiple people.
“Utterly scandalous how a group of rioters tonight in Loosdrecht resorted to violence, set fires, and spread fear among people,” Prime Minister Jetten wrote on X. “You’re always allowed to voice your concerns. But using violence is never acceptable.”
The rioters crossed a line last night, and their violence had a “profound impact” on the residents of the asylum shelter and locals, acting mayor Verheijen said. The protesters say they fear the asylum shelter will impact safety in Loosdrecht, but it is they who are causing fear and insecurity in the neighborhood. “People are frightened and feel unsafe in their own environment. That affects me, not only as mayor, but also as a human being.”
Other politicians also condemned the violence. “What we saw tonight has nothing to do with demonstrating. This is destruction and violence, and totally unacceptable,” Asylum Minister Bart van den Brink said on X. “Whatever you think, residents, staff, and volunteers at reception centres must be safe.”
Justice and Security Minister David van Weel agreed. “This cannot and will not be tolerated,” he said. Last month, he called violent rioters at anti-asylum protests in Loosdrecht “scum.”
The police also had to intervene at anti-asylum protests in Apeldoorn and The Hague on Tuesday.
Around 90 people protested in Apeldoorn at the building where the municipality wants to accommodate 240 asylum seekers. The police arrested at least five people for setting off fireworks, Omroep Brabant reported.
This was the fifth consecutive night of anti-asylum protests in Apeldoorn. The police arrested 26 people on Saturday, 11 on Sunday, and four on Monday.
At around 7:00 p.m. in The Hague, dozens of anti-asylum protesters gathered in front of the building where the municipality wants to house hundreds of asylum seekers. A counter-protest of people supporting the asylum shelter gathered further down the street. The anti-ayslum protesters sought confrontation with the other group, and the police had to keep them apart, Omroep West reported.
Shortly before 9:00 p.m., the police led the supporters away. It is unclear whether any arrests were made.
