Rioters break into an entrance at the #Opera . Windows are broken and attempts are made to enter. The fire brigade has also left again and cannot extinguish the fire #rellen #DenHaag. pic.twitter.com/q2U0BOUfIb
— Owen (@_owenobrien_) February 17, 2024
Violence has erupted in the Netherlands after clashes between rival Eritrean immigrant groups turned into a riot.
Police vehicles and a bus were on fire on Saturday night as hundreds of young men wielding metal poles attacked police and hurled bricks outside the Opera House in The Hague.
Police said a group loyal to Eritrea’s government was holding a meeting inside the venue when they were attacked by an anti-government group, AP reported.
“It got seriously out of hand,” Robin Middel, The Hague Municipality spokesman, said.
Footage from the scene in The Hague, the Netherlands, shows hundreds of Eritrean immigrants armed with metal poles attacking police and pelting officers with rocks (Owen)
The mayor issued an emergency order for the area around Fruitweg and authorised riot police to use tear gas to try to bring the violence under control, but officers were pelted with rocks by Eritrean youths in hooded jackets, scarfs and balaclavas.
“At Fruitweg in The Hague a confrontation between two groups of Eritreans resulted in a fight,” The Hague police posted on X.
“Stones were thrown. We act with the riot police, among others, to restore public order.”
Second police car on fire. Stones come through the air from all sides. Police continue to use tear gas, but the rioters continue to return #rellen #DenHaag. pic.twitter.com/tkgGKJuqlH
— Owen (@_owenobrien_) February 17, 2024
Footage from the scene shows extensive damage to the conference hall, and burned out cars in the streets outside.
Eritrean immigrant groups have been responsible for outbreaks of violence across the globe in recent months, with clashes erupting in Germany, Canada, Israel, Sweden, the US, and Australia.
A massive brawl at an event in Melbourne last month left 10 in hospital and caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage to the hired venue.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the deportation of Eritrean immigrants involved in clashes in Tel Aviv that left more than 100 injured, including 30 police officers, in September.
