Dozens of Eritreans clashed on Saturday evening after a meeting of Eritrean communities in the Opera hall center in The Hague. They threw stones at each other and the police, among other things. Two police vehicles were also set on fire. The riot police used tear gas to disperse the groups, the Hague police reported on X.
Mayor Jan van Zanen has issued an emergency order for the area around Fruitweg, where the meeting center is located. This means that the police can send people away and arrest them if they do not cooperate. It is not known whether there were any injuries. It is also not clear whether the police have made any arrests.
Windows were smashed at the Opera hall center, reports ANP news agency. The rioters try to enter the center and pelt the police with stones, bicycles and traffic signs. A coach opposite the conference center is also on fire.
A municipal spokesperson reports that this is a confrontation between supporters and opponents of the Eritrean government. The first group was the organizer of the meeting. Tempers between the two groups have often flared up in the past. For example, in 2022 a party organized by pro-government Eritreans in Beverwijk was canceled due to fears of disruption of public order. Opponents accused the organization at the time of being a “long arm of the dictatorial regime in Eritrea.”