Demonstrations took place in several Dutch cities on Saturday afternoon under the banner of National Protest. Participants were protesting against issues including asylum accommodation and cuts to healthcare services. Organisers said beforehand they expected a peaceful and large-scale demonstration. Protests were announced in nine cities, while counter-demonstrations were also held in some locations.
In The Hague, around 200 people began a march through the city from the Malieveld, according to regional broadcaster Omroep West. Participants carried Dutch Prince’s flags. Organisers had urged demonstrators not to wear face coverings so that undercover officers, known in Dutch as romeo’s, could be identified.
In Groningen, broadcaster RTV Noord reported only a small number of National Protest participants. In Leeuwarden, several dozen people took part in a protest march through the city, Omrop Fryslân reported. A few hundred people there organised a counter-demonstration in solidarity with refugees and other groups. A counter-protest was also held in Nijmegen during an anti-asylum demonstration.
Protests were also planned in Utrecht, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Amsterdam, Maastricht and Haarlem. The organisation De Goede Zaak, which describes itself as an ally of progressive groups in the Netherlands, said it was appalled by what it called “far-right actions” and referred to recent unrest in places including Loosdrecht. “In recent weeks we have seen what this means: smashed windows, threats and explosions,” the group said.
The organisation recently launched a campaign allowing people to symbolically sponsor demonstrators taking part in Saturday’s protests. According to De Goede Zaak, the campaign has raised more than €113,000.
The group said the money would be used to support actions in favour of humane refugee accommodation. “Every smashed window is translated into euros for the counter-demonstration,” the organisation said, adding that it believes most people in the Netherlands support helping refugees.
@anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
