‘Trying to set fire to a building with vulnerable people’
The mayor speaks of serious events. According to him, rioters tried to ‘set fire to a building with vulnerable people’ and the fire brigade was also hampered.
Verheijen says that the municipality did not expect the situation to escalate to this extent.
According to the mayor, several groups from outside the region came to Loosdrecht to ‘create chaos’. “You also see that it is a larger phenomenon, that it occurs in several places in the Netherlands,” says Verheijen.
‘Demonstrations are allowed, violence is not’
The mayor emphasizes that in his view demonstrating is allowed, but that violence against asylum seekers and emergency services is never acceptable.
“You can disagree with government decisions. You do that democratically.”
