Dutch conduct border checks against refugees and the police intervene
The Dutch-German border near the Ter Apel area witnessed new tensions on Sunday night after about 50 people gathered at an unofficial point to inspect vehicles coming to the Netherlands, protesting the entry of asylum seekers. Dutch and German police intervened forcefully to prevent a repeat of what happened the previous night.
The group that arrived in about 10 cars wore fluorescent vests and carried torches, and their identities were checked by the police. However, they did not stop any cars as they did the previous night on the N366 road, where they intercepted vehicles and checked their trunks.
Activist Jan Hozen, who led these movements, is known for his hardline positions and criminal record in cases of incitement and defamation. He wrote on Facebook that his anger stemmed from watching the German police return an asylum seeker to Dutch territory, accusing the Dutch government of inaction: "If the government does nothing, people have the right to intervene to prevent the dumping of refugees across the border," he said.
The mayor of Westerwolde, Jaap Velema, expressed his understanding of the feelings of frustration related to the congestion at the Ter Apel reception center, but emphasized that "expressing anger should not be done this way."
On the other hand, a report released last week showed that the official inspection procedures implemented by the government at the borders did not lead to a reduction in asylum applications. Although these measures increased the number of people denied entry, cases of human trafficking and document forgery were lower. The data indicates that only 400 out of 44,000 asylum applications in 2024 were submitted at the border, representing less than 1%.