Asylum Shelter Set on Fire in Loosdrecht as Anti-Asylum Protests Resorted to Violence

Three people have been arrested after rioters attempted to set fire to a temporary asylum reception centre in the former town hall of Wijdemeren, in the village of Loosdrecht, on Tuesday evening. Around 300 to 400 people had gathered outside the building, where the first 15 asylum seekers had moved in earlier in the day.

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What happened

The demonstration began peacefully, with people waving flags and chanting slogans. Around 8:30 pm, the situation escalated when protesters started throwing fireworks and torches towards the building, setting alight the bushes against the wall. The 15 asylum seekers and their supervisors who were inside at the time were not injured.

When the fire brigade arrived to put out the fire, rioters initially blocked their way. Police escorted them through, and the fire was quickly extinguished. The mobile police unit (ME) was deployed to restore order, and the surrounding area was cleared. Damage to the building itself appears limited.

Acting mayor of Wijdemeren Mark Verheijen issued an emergency ordinance forbidding anyone from being near the building until 9 am the next day. He called it a "targeted action against vulnerable people. With that, a boundary has been crossed."

Three arrests

On Wednesday, the police announced that three people had been arrested in connection with the riot. The main suspect is a 28-year-old man from Huizen, who is suspected of arson. The other two are minors, one from Kortenhoef and one from Amersfoort, who are suspected of disturbing public order.

Months of unrest at the location

The temporary reception in the former town hall has been the subject of tensions since 17 April, when the municipality of Wijdemeren announced that up to 70 asylum seekers would be housed in the empty part of the building until 1 November. Previous protests had already turned violent, with fireworks and eggs thrown at police. Because of those riots, the local authority chose not to announce in advance when the asylum seekers themselves would arrive.

The same evening, a comparable protest in Apeldoorn also got out of hand, with multiple people detained, the fifth consecutive night of demonstrations there.

Sharp political reactions

The arson attempt drew strong condemnation from across government. Speaking from a visit to Aruba, prime minister Rob Jetten called the event "outright scandalous." "Expressing your concerns is always allowed. But using violence is never allowed," he wrote on X, adding that the perpetrators should "be tracked down and punished quickly."

Asylum and migration minister Bart van den Brink (CDA) said the events "have nothing to do with demonstrating. This is destruction and violence and totally unacceptable." Justice minister David van Weel called endangering others with heavy fireworks and torches "unacceptable." Vice-prime minister and defence minister Dilan Yesilgöz (VVD) described the actions as "inadmissible," and CDA party leader Henri Bontenbal spoke of "idiotic and criminal behaviour."

AIVD investigates the protests

The Loosdrecht events come on the same day that minister Van den Brink confirmed in parliament that the Dutch intelligence service AIVD is investigating the organisation of the anti-asylum protests across the Netherlands, looking at "what patterns there are and what is behind them." The minister did not say whether the investigation also includes possible foreign involvement, but observers have suggested that some of the recent protests, including those in Apeldoorn and Loosdrecht, are not driven solely by local residents but may also involve (far-right) organisations.

In a parliamentary debate, Denk MP El Abassi spoke of a "pattern of hate and violence" being stoked by MPs "on the right" of parliament, and called the violence "anti-azc terrorism." Van den Brink rejected the terrorism label, saying that terrorism is about motives and "the cabinet is not the institution to pronounce on that." PVV leader Geert Wilders, by contrast, called for the spreidingswet (which obliges municipalities to take in their share of asylum seekers) to be repealed, while condemning the violence and stressing that "99 percent" of demonstrators are peaceful.

For Loosdrecht itself, the immediate question is what happens next as the remaining asylum seekers move in. According to mayor Verheijen, the arson and surrounding events have had a "deep impact" on both the residents of the reception and the local neighbourhood, with both groups left feeling unsafe in their own area.