Residents of Loosdrecht have been holding rallies against the arrival of asylum seekers
Anti-immigration protesters set an emergency refugee shelter on fire in the Dutch town of Loosdrecht on Tuesday evening, following weeks of demonstrations against the arrival of asylum seekers.
According to NOS, an angry crowd threw firecrackers at a town hall building that authorities said would temporarily house refugees. The incident occurred after the first group of 15 asylum seekers arrived earlier that day.
The crowd also threw objects at police officers and attempted to block firefighters from accessing the site. The fire was eventually extinguished, and several people were detained, NOS reported.
Previous protests in Loosdrecht, a town of 8,600 people, forced authorities to scale back plans to house 110 asylum seekers to 70.
Last month, a petition opposing the opening of the shelter, signed by 3,000 people, was submitted to the authorities. Despite protests from local residents and business owners, a court ruled in favor of allowing the vacant town hall to be used to house refugees.
Several right-wing politicians joined the rallies, with Gidi Markuszower, leader of the Dutch Alliance (DNA), telling the crowd that refugees should “go back to their own country.”
Pro-immigration politicians condemned the violence, with some claiming that many of the protesters were not from Loosdrecht. Justice Minister David van Weel suggested that “groups with bad intentions” may have exploited the protests to incite violence, according to Dutch News.
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