Dutch riot police break up violent far-right protest in The Hague

Dutch riot police moved in to disperse a far-right protest in The Hague on Saturday after officers were targeted with projectiles and fireworks, the AFP news agency reported. Local authorities ordered the demonstration ended once violence persisted, and police escorted participants away from Malieveld park in the city centre.

Law enforcement said they detained 24 people and deployed water cannon in addition to conducting baton charges and using dogs to break up the crowd. Authorities also stated that further investigations into the disturbances were underway.

The rally, billed as "Wij zijn het volk" ("We are the people"), was organised to oppose government immigration and asylum policies. Observers and media reported scenes that included a person making a Hitler salute, protesters chanting antisemitic slogans, and a truck displaying a screen that read "The Netherlands is for the Dutch." One demonstrator quoted by AFP, 31-year-old mechanic Thijs Jansen, said: "We're losing our country. We're literally losing our country to mass migration."

Prime Minister Rob Jetten said on X that the protesters had sought confrontation with police and used "abhorrent" far-right and antisemitic chants. Justice Minister David van Weel condemned the violent behaviour and slogans, calling for firm action and thanking officers for upholding the democratic rule of law. The unrest recalled a similar anti-immigration rally in The Hague a year earlier, when police again used water cannon amid clashes that included arson and attacks on political party premises.