Dutch police use tear gas against anti-immigration protesters, 30 arrested

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AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -Dutch police used tear gas and a water cannon to disperse violent anti-migration protesters in The Hague on Saturday, local authorities said.

Thirty people have been arrested, and two police officers were injured. Authorities did not rule out additional arrests in the coming days as they review camera footage.

Thousands of people had joined a protest organised by a right-wing activist, demanding stricter migration policies and a clampdown on asylum seekers, just over a month before a national election.

Large groups of protesters, many waving Dutch flags and flags associated with far-right groups, clashed violently with the police, throwing rocks and bottles, footage from broadcaster NOS showed.

A police car was set on fire and a group of protesters briefly blocked a highway near the site of the demonstration.

Local media reported that protesters also smashed several windows at the headquarters of the centre-left D66 party, viewed by many on the far right as a party that serves a progressive elite.

D66 leader Rob Jetten said on social media platform X that the damage inside was extensive.

“If you think you can intimidate us, tough luck. We will never let extremist rioters take away our beautiful country”, he added.

Anti-migration populist Geert Wilders, who won the previous election in the Netherlands and in recent weeks retained his lead in opinion polls ahead of the October 29 vote, was invited to speak at the demonstration but did not attend.

Instead he condemned the violence on X, saying the use of force against police was “utterly unacceptable”, and calling those involved “idiots”.

(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout and Bart Meijer, Editing by Jane Merriman, Hugh Lawson and Marguerita Choy)