Opponents have been gathering opposite the town hall on Rading, which has been converted into an emergency shelter, since early afternoon. Earlier that day, the first asylum seekers arrived made their entrance. This concerns fifteen of the total of seventy single men who will be housed there.
In the evening the group grew to about four hundred demonstrators. It remained quiet for a long time, but around 8:30 PM a group started to throw heavy fireworks and decorative torches towards the shelter. As a result, bushes and trees caught fire right in front of the building.
The police tried to extinguish the fires themselves, but officers stopped the attempts when they were also pelted. This while a police helicopter flew above the village.
After the rushing fire brigade was held back for some time, the Mobile Unit (ME) intervened. The demonstrators were driven into the surrounding streets. Some of them hid in homes.
Emergency order and responses from the mayor and The Hague
Mayor Mark Verheijen announced an emergency order, which applies until 9 a.m. this morning. The area around the town hall was cleared by the riot police. According to the municipality, several people have been arrested.
The damage to the building appears to be limited. The municipality reports that the residents of the shelter location were accompanied by an escort. She and COA employees are unharmed.
The mayor announced last night that he believes the demonstrators have crossed a line. “This was a targeted action against vulnerable people. This goes against everything we stand for as the Netherlands.”
“You may disagree with democratically taken decisions, but you do so with words and not with fireworks and violence. This endangers people’s safety and I strictly enforce that limit.”
According to the mayor, the arson and the events have also had a deep impact on local residents and the residents of the emergency shelter. “People are shocked and feel unsafe in their own environment. That affects me not only as mayor, but also as a person.”
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