Three people arrested after anti-refugee protest turns chaotic in Scheidam
Dutch police intervened on Saturday in two separate incidents related to rising anti-refugee tensions — one in Schiedam, where a demonstration turned into unrest, and the other in Apeldoorn, where small fires broke out and offensive banners appeared overnight despite no official plans to establish a shelter there.
In Scheidam, the demonstration started peacefully but escalated as tensions rose between protesters opposing the potential establishment of a center for receiving asylum seekers. The police confirmed that they arrested three people for offensive behavior during the unrest. A reporter from the ANP news agency witnessed police officers escorting the detainees to a police car.
Several hundred protesters have participated since the afternoon to protest the municipality's proposal to accommodate 327 asylum seekers, including 52 unaccompanied minors, in the former office building De Torendijk on 's-Gravelandseweg street. The protesters carried signs that read 'Vol = vol, nee = nee' ('The place is full, no means no') and 'AZC weg ermee' ('Get rid of the asylum center'). In response, they were faced with a group of pro-refugee demonstrators with slogans like 'Welcome refugees, no to Nazis.'
The police deployed a large force to separate the two groups and prevent clashes, ensuring that the demonstration remained under control. The municipality of Schiedam has not yet made a decision regarding proceeding with the establishment of the asylum center.
Later that night, in the De Maten neighborhood of Apeldoorn, emergency services were called after two small fires broke out and anti-asylum center signs were found. Firefighters rushed to extinguish a burning waste container and a pile of papers that were burning nearby.
The police later found several banners in the area, including one bearing the colors of the Dutch flag and another containing a message that the police described as 'extremely offensive' against asylum seekers.
All materials, including banners, have been seized for a criminal investigation and thorough forensic examination. The police stated that they do not rule out the possibility of arson or deliberate incitement to unrest, amid rising tensions related to asylum centers across different parts of the Netherlands.