Investigation: 175 arrests for anti-asylum violence resulted in 16 convictions

Most cases of anti-asylum center violence in the Netherlands result in fines or no punishment, according to an RTL Nieuws investigation covering 20 municipalities over the past two years. According to the newspaper, at least 175 arrests led to 16 convictions.

In Loosdrecht, more than 30 people were arrested during protests where fireworks and flares were used. During one incident this month, a temporary emergency shelter in Loosdrecht was set on fire. In Uitgeest, a municipal council meeting was halted after a firework bomb was thrown through a window from a crowd. Across the incidents, demonstrators smashed windows of town halls and attacked police officers with heavy fireworks. In 12 locations, riot police (ME) were deployed to restore order.

The legal outcomes, however, were reportedly limited. Seven suspects received community service sentences. Nine received unconditional prison sentences, including three who were jailed for more than one month.

A 37-year-old man from Doetinchem received a two-month prison sentence after throwing fireworks at a police officer during unrest in which a town hall was targeted. A 24-year-old man from The Hague was sentenced to four months in prison after repeatedly striking a police officer in the head during a spontaneous protest against a planned asylum shelter in his city. A 20-year-old man received a three-month prison sentence for firing fireworks at police during riots over an asylum center in IJsselstein.

In other cases, no arrests were made. In Uitgeest, where a council meeting was disrupted by a firework bomb, no suspects were detained. In Bleskensgraaf, riot police dispersed a crowd that tried to enter a building where the municipal council was meeting, but again, no arrests followed.

Police in Noord-Holland said arrests are not always prioritized during public-order disturbances. A spokesperson said, “Facilitating, de-escalating, and maintaining public order is always our goal. It can therefore happen that making arrests on the spot is subordinate to that.”