At least six police officers were hurt during a violent riot that erupted on the streets outside The Hague last night, after two rival groups of Eritreans clashed following a political disagreement.
Rioters torches police cars and a bus, and Dutch police officers, who arrested 13 people throughout the night, were forced to use tear gas to try and dispel them.
Dozens of rioters, who set fire to two police cars and a tour bus, were filmed surrounding the Opera conference hall along Fruitweg in the Netherlands, as multiple police vans drove to the scene.
Another clip also showed the aftermath. The building had several smashed windows and parked vehicles were on fire, with the street left looking like a warzone.
A fight broke out between two groups of Eritreans. 'It got seriously out of hand,' The Hague Municipality spokesman Robin Middel said last night.
A damaged and burnt HTM bus a day after the police had to intervene in a confrontation between two groups of Eritreans
Burning vehicles at the Opera hall center on the Fruitweg
Wooden partitions are placed over the broken windows at the Opera hall center on the Fruitweg
Police said that during the disturbances, two officers sustained injuries to their hand and another to her teeth. A fourth was hit by a police car in the chaos.
Police in a later statement said another agent became unwell because of the tear gas, while a sixth officer was wounded in the knee.
'Out of nowhere, our colleagues were confronted with very intense and serious violence,' said police commander Marielle van Vulpen.
Police made several arrests and have called for witnesses and video footage, as they investigate the riots.
'The violence used against police officers and equipment is appalling and unacceptable,' said the city's mayor Jan van Zanen.
An official said a group loyal to Eritrea's government was holding a meeting when the venue was attacked by Eritreans who oppose the African nation's government.
Shards of glass covered the streets and smoke from the tear gas could be seen seeping into the air, as coppers had their cars pelted by bricks, bikes and traffic signs.
Officers dressed in riot gear barricaded the entrance to the building and dealt with a fire that had broken out inside. They removed what appeared to be a fuel canister from the property.
Another clip also showed the aftermath. Buildings had several smashed windows and parked vehicles were on fire
A crowd walks past a burning vehicle after a meeting of the Eritrean community ended in violence, with several cars set on fire, in The Hague
A police car burns at the Opera hall centre last night
Police stand guard during clashes between two groups of Eritreans during riots after a meeting in the conference center in The Hague on February 17, 2024
Youths were dressed in hooded jackets and some covered their faces with scarves and balaclavas.
Netherlands-based journalist Owen O'Brien shared the footage on X and wrote: '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.'
The reporter said the Opera hall had suffered 'extensive damage' because of the violent riots.
Jan van Zanen, mayor of The Hague, authorised police to use tear gas, a spokesman told the Netherlands Times.
The mayor also issued an emergency order for the area around Fruitweg, a spokesperson for the municipality of The Hague said.
Police Unit The Hague posted on X: 'At #Fruitweg in #DenHaag a confrontation between two groups of Eritreans resulted in a fight.
'Stones were thrown. We act with the riot police, among others, to restore public order.'
Multiple cars that were torched were left charred as emergency services were able to put out the fires.
A burned vehicle is seen at the Opera hall center on the Fruitweg following the chaos
The scene of one burned-out car is seen to be cordoned off last night
Dozens of rioters were filmed running out of a building in the Netherlands as multiple police vans drove to the scene
Shards of glass, bricks and what appears to be a fuel canister are pictured on the floor outside where the riot took place last night
Youths were filmed launching bricks at police vans
A police car is pictured on fire, as The mayor also issued an emergency order for the area around Fruitweg
Jan van Zanen, mayor of The Hague, also authorised police to use tear gas
The mayor also issued an emergency order for the area around Fruitweg
Police spokesperson Kristianne van Blanken said she could not immediately say if anybody was injured or if any rioters were arrested.
Anti-immigration sentiment has already been running high in the Netherlands, and far-right leader Geert Wilders, who won the nation's most recent election in November, took to X to say: 'Why is half the world allowed to come here to tear down our country, fight amongst themselves, throw stones at the police and set their cars on fire?
I want to become the prime minister who finally brings some order to this.'
There are some 25,000 Eritreans living in the Netherlands, according to official government figures.
The fighting is the latest outbreak of violence at Eritrean events in Europe.
A burnt out car from the scene, where a fight broke out between two groups of Eritreans
Coppers dressed in riot gear are pictured along the road in an attempt to diffuse the situation
A woman takes photos of the damage to the conference hall in the Hague
A firefighter puts out a car that was set alight by rioters
Police dressed in riot gear stood in front of the Opera building to protect it from further damage
Dozens of people, including at least 26 police officers, were injured during unrest surrounding an Eritrean cultural festival in the southwestern German city of Stuttgart in September 2023.
A fight the same month between Eritrean government supporters and opponents in Tel Aviv led to violent street confrontations among African asylum-seekers and migrants.
Months earlier, a clash at an Eritrean festival in the western German city of Giessen left 22 police officers injured.
Tens of thousands of people have fled Eritrea for Europe, many alleging they were mistreated by the repressive government of President Isaias Afwerki.
The conflicts underscore deep divisions among members of the Eritrean diaspora between those who remain close to the government and those who have fled to live in exile and strongly oppose Isaias.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Eritrean migrants who were involved in violent clashes in Tel Aviv must be deported immediately
Bloody protests in Israel by rival groups of Eritreans left dozens of people injured
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