Riots broke out near the Hague on Saturday as Eritraen immigrants took their grievances to the streets in the Netherlands. Police cars could be seen burning as officers tried to control the chaos.
According to the NL Times, the riots broke out after a brawl between two groups of Eritreans at the Opera conference hall on Fruitweg broke out.
A police car was set on fire and the group reportedly broke into the opera house. Rioters threw rocks at police and officers used tear gas to quell the chaos.
Windows of the conference center were smashed and rioters tried to break into the opera hall.
Jan van Zanen gave police the order to use tear gas on the immigrants during the riot. “Our first priority is to restore order,” a spokesman said.
According to the Dutch outlet Het Parool, this is not the first time tensions have broken out into riots with immigrants from the East African country. During Oct. 2022, a part in Amstelveen also got out of control when some Eritrean were refused entry.
“The situation in Eritrea and their flight has traumatized the young people. Here most people do not integrate at all,” an Amsterdam Eritrean told the outlet at the time.
Last May, two other groups of Eritrean broke out fighting in Rijswijk as a result of an Eritrean independence celebration.
