Demonstrators entered the A59 near Den Bosch on Wednesday evening during a protest against an asylum seeker center (azc). The highway towards Waalwijk was completely closed for a short time. The demonstrators are against the arrival of an asylum center on the adjacent business park in Engelen.
About a hundred demonstrators gathered on the highway’s exit and main lane. They carry banners and torches. Because a group of demonstrators stood on the road surface, Rijkswaterstaat decided to stop traffic from Den Bosch to Waalwijk.
A road inspector from Rijkswaterstaat was present on the highway and communicated with the traffic control center. He sees that the group of demonstrators is moving towards the exit. This meant that cars could continue to drive along a ‘supervised’ lane.
According to the road inspector, there are about ten police officers present and reinforcements have been requested. A police spokesperson said that the police did not intervene and that it appears that the action is almost over.
Not the first demonstration
It is not the first time that a demonstration has taken place. On Saturday April 18, Den Bosch mayor Mikkers imposed an area ban on nine more people. A day earlier, two others received the same ban. They were not allowed to enter the De Vutter business park for a number of days.
A few days earlier, two people were arrested during the anti-azc demonstration. People tried to block the road, threw stones and set off fireworks. Demonstrators also tried to enter the A59.
Shelter in old police station
The municipality of Den Bosch announced at the beginning of April that it would accommodate fifty underage refugees at the De Vutter business park in Engelen. The Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) has been offered a building there, which previously served as a police station, to accommodate single boys and girls aged 15 to 18.