Police in The Hague have arrested 24 people following an anti-immigration demonstration organized by a far-right group that quickly descended into violence. The event, which drew several hundred participants, took place near the city’s Centraal Station and the open-air Malieveld area, marking the one-year anniversary of a similarly turbulent protest that led to severe riots in the Dutch administrative capital.
The gathering was initiated by an organization calling itself Wij Zijn Het Volk (“We are the people”). Tensions escalated early in the day as participants flouted municipal regulations and direct orders from law enforcement. Despite explicit local bans on face coverings during public demonstrations, many protesters arrived wearing balaclavas, scarves, and masks to conceal their identities. Within hours, the gathering shifted from a static protest into open hostility directed at law enforcement officers and public infrastructure.
According to authorities, individuals within the crowd engaged in extremist behavior, openly performing Nazi salutes, shouting anti-Semitic chants, and carrying provocative banners featuring racist slogans. Among the slogans displayed and chanted were references to "remigratie" and "blanke mannen vooraan," which translates to "white men first."
Acting Mayor Richard de Mos intervened as the situation deteriorated, ordering riot police to clear the Malieveld after demonstrators began physically attacking officers and ignoring repeated warnings to remove their face coverings. The confrontation quickly intensified as rioters unleashed smoke bombs and fireworks directly at the riot squad. In an escalation of violence, some individuals tore heavy traffic poles out of the ground, hurling at least one of them at police lines.
Faced with escalating aggression, the police deployed tactical units, service dogs, pepper spray, and batons to push the unruly crowd back toward Centraal Station. Law enforcement maintained a heavy presence to secure the area, ultimately restoring order by approximately 3:30 in the afternoon following the series of skirmishes.
While the unrest resulted in 24 arrests and significant property disruption, authorities noted that the scale of the violence was less extreme than the riots that occurred exactly one year prior. During the September 2025 demonstrations, approximately 1,000 rioters engaged in widespread destruction, setting fire to police cars, blockading the major A12 motorway, and smashing windows at the offices of the political party D66. Nevertheless, government officials stressed that the latest outbreak of hostility still represented a severe breach of public order.
“Atrocious”
The events in The Hague drew swift and sharp condemnation from national political leaders. Justice Minister David van Weel took to the social media platform X to express his outrage, labeling the scenes witnessed on the Malieveld as “atrocious.”
“Hitler salutes, anti-Semitic chants, violence against police and fireworks thrown at riot squad officers,” Van Weel wrote in his online statement. Emphasizing the need for strict accountability, the justice minister added, “It’s important that these people are dealt with severely.” He also extended his gratitude to the law enforcement personnel who stepped forward to protect the Dutch rule of law.
Acting Mayor Richard de Mos echoed these sentiments, asserting that the aggressive behavior targeting police officers had unequivocally crossed a line. De Mos explained the local government’s precautionary measures, noting that authorities had preemptively cancelled the planned march route through the city, restricting the gathering exclusively to a static demonstration on the Malieveld.
“When the violence continued, it was necessary to put an end to it,” De Mos stated, defending the decision of the municipality and the deployment of the riot squad to disperse the crowd once public safety was fundamentally compromised.
As investigations into the disturbances continue, police are reviewing footage from the demonstrations to identify additional suspects involved in the clashes, property damage, and hate speech offenses.
