Rioters in the central Dutch town of Loosdrecht set fire to shrubs at an asylum shelter on May 12, and briefly even blocked local firefighters from reaching the scene. At least 15 asylum seekers are believed to have been trapped inside during the assault. The anti-migrant attack prompted widespread condemnation from Dutch officials.
On May 12, around 400 protesters gathered outside the emergency asylum shelter in Loosdrecht, according to the Dutch broadcaster NOS.
During a protest against the facility, some of the rioters threw fireworks and flares at the building, igniting bushes and shrubbery just behind the safety fence surrounding the complex.
Firefighters were initially prevented from accessing the blaze, as the protestors positioned themselves in the way of emergency services trying to reach the site, but were later reported to have extinguished the blaze without injuries to asylum seekers or staff.
Authorities reportedly made several arrests.
The protesters have expressed fears that the asylum shelter, which is intended to house no more than 70 asylum seekers — mostly unaccompanied minors aged between 15 and 18 — will attract criminal elements and this will impact the overall state of safety in Loosdrecht.
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Senior Dutch politicians condemn anti-migrant violence
The city's acting mayor Mark Verheijen issued an emergency order for riot police to come and disperse the crowd, which had repeatedly been gathering outside the asylum facility for several days.
Last week, the protestors even blocked the exit of a major highway
Verheijen said the unrest had a "profound impact" on both shelter residents and local residents, accusing the protesters of creating insecurity in the community.
The country's asylum minister, Bart van den Brink, and the justice minister, David van Weel, also issued statements denouncing the violence while stressing that the residents of the asylum shelter, as well as employees and volunteers working there must always be protected.
Asylum minister van den Brink meanwhile announced that the Dutch security service AIVD had begun investigating the recent wave of anti-asylum protests.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten meanwhile condemned the violence as "utterly scandalous," saying that while protests are permitted, violence is not.
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Days of protests and riots across the Netherlands
Violent protests against asylum seekers and their accommodation facilities have been flaring up all over the Netherlands in recent weeks, as a new law, which obliges municipalities across the country to provide a proportionate share of asylum placement, is due to come into effect on July 1.
Elsewhere in the Netherlands, police responded to anti-asylum protests in the cities of Apeldoorn and The Hague.
On May 12, in Apeldoorn, just shy of 100 demonstrators gathered to protest plans to house 240 asylum seekers, according to the local news platform Omroep Brabant; it was the fifth consecutive day of protests there.
During the protests on Tuesday, police arrested at least five people for illegally setting off fireworks; two days earlier, dozens of arrests had already been made at the same site.
The facility in Apeldoorn is intended to house 240 asylum seekers.
Meanwhile in The Hague, dozens of anti-asylum protesters gathered near a planned asylum shelter on May 12. Asylum supporters staged a counter-demonstration nearby.
Police in The Hague had to intervene to keep the two groups apart after anti-asylum protesters had attempted to confront the counter-protesters.
It is unclear whether any arrests were made in The Hague.
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