Rioters assault police in anti-migrant protests in The Hague

[ad_1] An anti-asylum protest within the Netherlands descended into violent chaos on Saturday as masked demonstrators clashed with riot police.

Hundreds of protesters had gathered for an “Els Rechts” demonstration in opposition to mass migration in The Hague.

However the gathering turned violent, with video footage exhibiting masked protesters battling with riot police, as others threw bottles and rocks at officers.

One video circulating on social media on Saturday confirmed a police automobile erupting into flames, with police utilizing water cannons and tear gasoline to disperse the crowds.

Credit score: @BobHGL / X

Some protesters blocked highways whereas others vandalised an workplace belonging to Democrats 66, a Dutch centre-left political celebration.

Saturday’s demonstration was organised by a girl often called “Els Rechts,” a Proper-wing activist who's distinguished on Dutch social media websites. She has publicly distanced herself from the rioters.

<img alt="Protesters waving Dutch national flags take part in the 'Stand up for the Netherlands' demonstration against the current government policy regarding asylum seekers, in The Hague, Netherlands, on September 20, 2025" loading="lazy" width="960" height="600" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="rounded-lg" style="color:transparent" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/8W3fcRNoaImibxsAowYLPQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYwMDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_telegraph_818/f1bf1f9bb9a287ff7be79d5542d5315a"/> Protesters wave flags on the ‘Get up for the Netherlands’ demonstration - Josh Walet/Getty Photos

The rioting was additionally condemned by the Netherlands’ far-Proper Freedom Get together chief Geert Wilders, who had earlier declined an invite to attend the protests.

“Deal with this scum with an iron fist,” he mentioned in a publish on social media web site X. “Blocking the freeway and violence in opposition to the police is completely and utterly unacceptable. Idiots.”

Credit score: @BobHGL / X

The protests have been held round a month earlier than nationwide elections within the Netherlands, the place opinion polls recommend Mr Wilders’ Freedom Get together will take first place.

One of many audio system at Saturday’s demonstration was a member of a separate Proper-wing populist celebration, BVNL, who reportedly complained his nation had turn out to be a “multicultural nightmare”.

He informed the crowds that “ladies used to have the ability to put on quick skirts and homosexual males in Amsterdam may nonetheless maintain palms within the streets”, De Telegraaf reported.

<img alt="Police on the A12 motorway after protesters took to the road during a protest against the current asylum policy at the Malieveld, in the Hague, the Netherlands, 20 September 2025" loading="lazy" width="960" height="600" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="rounded-lg" style="color:transparent" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/AF5Zi.G2SJ2VN12mpqZ6Sg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYwMDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_telegraph_818/ebeebd28f3f1fd75f64c8262bcbf7dae"/> Law enforcement officials are focused as tensions spill over into violence - Josh Walet/EPA/Shutterstock

Ms Rechts has 23,000 followers on X and describes herself as a 26-year-old political activist.

In a press release issued after the occasion descended into chaos, the activist mentioned she was mortified by the violence and urged her supporters to go dwelling.

Credit score: @WurfTwain / X

“How horrible I discover this! I condemn each type of violence! What occurred right here is meaningless. Law enforcement officials have been cornered, and issues have been destroyed and set on hearth,” she wrote on the social media web site.

“I assumed that folks got here to show peacefully, however sadly, for no matter purpose, it turned out very otherwise. I remorse that it occurred this fashion. If I had recognized this upfront, I might by no means have organised it.”

Rob Jetten, the chief of D66, the liberal celebration whose workplaces have been vandalised, referred to the rioters as “scum”.

“Preserve your palms off political events. For those who assume you possibly can intimidate us, powerful luck. We are going to by no means let extremist rioters take our lovely nation away from us,” he mentioned.

As within the UK, France and Germany, tensions have risen within the Netherlands in regards to the variety of asylum seekers being accommodated within the nation, along with housing shortages and the rising price of dwelling.