Dutch riot police dispersed several hundred far-right protesters in The Hague on Saturday after violence erupted. Local authorities subsequently banned a planned march in the city that was organised against immigration and asylum policies.
Police officers made several arrests after some protesters began throwing fireworks and other projectiles at them. The Hague municipality banned the march after violence broke out among demonstrators gathered at the Malieveld, a park in the city centre, and later ordered the crowd to disperse.
Justice minister David van Weel called for an “extremely firm” response to what he described as “disgusting scenes” at the protest. He stated that demonstrators made Nazi salutes, chanted antisemitic slogans, attacked police, and threw fireworks at riot officers. Van Weel also thanked police officers for “standing up for our democratic rule of law.”
Saturday's unrest occurred a year after rioting during a right-wing demonstration in The Hague, which saw a police car set on fire and the headquarters of the centrist D66 party attacked.