Dutch riot police break up violent far-right protest in The Hague

Justice minister condemns ‘Hitler salutes, antisemitic slogans, violence’ at the anti-immigration rally.Dutch riot police have intervened at a protest against immigration and asylum policies after about 500 far-right demonstrators pelted them with projectiles and fireworks .Police used baton charges and dogs to break up the demonstration in The Hague on Saturday, reported the AFP news agency.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Dutch police use water cannon to disperse anti-immigration protesterslist 2 of 4Afghan refugees face an uncertain future as Europe shifts to the rightlist 3 of 4Multicultural Malmo: Swedish city loathed by far right braces for electionlist 4 of 4Angry Dutch farmers blamed for railway sabotage: What happened?end of listLocal authorities said the demonstration was ended because of continued violence, and protesters were escorted away from Malieveld park in the city centre.Police said they arrested 24 people and deployed water cannon to disperse the rioters. Further investigations were underway, they added.Prime Minister Rob Jetten said on X that the demonstrators deliberately sought confrontation with the police and chanted “abhorrent” far-right and antisemitic slogansJustice Minister David van Weel condemned the violent scenes and slogans.“Identical images from the Malieveld. Hitler salutes, antisemitic slogans, violence against the police and throwing fireworks at the riot squad,” he posted on X. “It is important that hardline action is taken against this.”He also thanked police officers for helping to maintain the democratic rule of law.The “Wij zijn het volk” rally, which translates to “We are the people”, was organised to protest against government policies in the Netherlands’, specifically on immigration.The protesters had planned to march through The Hague, but local authorities banned it when violence began and ordered the demonstration to be broken up.The Prince’s flag with the symbol of the Dutch East India Company during the far-right demonstration in The Hague on Saturday [Nicolas Economou/Reuters]Someone at the rally was seen giving a Hitler salute, while a truck serving as a stage displayed a screen reading “The Netherlands is for the Dutch,” according to the country’s largest national news agency, Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau (ANP).