Firework Bomb Thrown into D66 Party Office in The Hague During Youth Meeting
Around 30 young members of the Jonge Democraten were inside the building when a firework bomb came through the letterbox. No one was injured, but PM Rob Jetten, who leads D66, calls the attack a deliberate act of intimidation.
A firework bomb was thrown through the letterbox of the D66 party office in The Hague on Thursday evening, while around 30 young members of the party's youth wing were inside. No one was injured, but the explosion caused significant damage and prompted strong reactions across the political spectrum, including from the prime minister, who is also D66's leader. A 37-year-old suspect was arrested within an hour.
Rentals in the Netherlands
Signaal tracks the Dutch rental market and notifies you the moment something matches your search. Be first to apply.
What happened
The explosion took place at the party office on the Lange Houtstraat in central The Hague shortly after 9 pm. According to a D66 spokesperson, a firework bomb was thrown through the letterbox, going off inside the building. At the time, the youth wing of the party, the Jonge Democraten, was holding a speakers' evening, with around 30 mostly young attendees. The group sought safety in the garden behind the building.
About an hour after the attack, the police announced they had detained a suspect, a 37-year-old man with no fixed address. He remains in custody, and the motive is so far unknown. The area around the office was cordoned off for forensic investigation.
A targeted attack
Speaking before the start of Friday's cabinet meeting, prime minister Rob Jetten said the attack appeared to be deliberately aimed at D66. "There are very many buildings in The Hague city centre. I do think this perpetrator walked very deliberately to our party office to carry out this action with a prepared firework bomb," he said. Earlier, on social media, he had described the attack as "a cowardly act of intimidation," adding: "For those who think they can spread fear, I have a message: in democratic Netherlands, we will never be silenced by violence."
D66 parliamentary leader Jan Paternotte described it as "an idiotic action that could have ended much worse," and stressed that those inside escaping unhurt was "a small miracle, because the explosion has caused devastation." Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, the D66 minister for foreign trade and development, said in a TV interview that he was "furious" and called the perpetrators "scum of the earth."
A young, shaken audience
Rachelle Smook, chair of the Jonge Democraten, said the impact on those present was "enormous." In a statement, the youth organisation said it was "shocked, furious and sad," describing the explosion as "an attack." "That young people who come together to speak freely, debate and commit themselves to democracy should be confronted with violence and intimidation is completely unacceptable," the group said. "This incident does not stand on its own, and that is what makes it all the more worrying. Young people must be able to participate in the democracy they help shape, freely and without fear."
Not the first time
The attack was the second targeted at the same D66 office in the past nine months. In September last year, rioters smashed windows and tried to push a burning container into the building, after an anti-immigration protest on the nearby Malieveld got out of hand. That incident caused around €34,000 in damage. In October, unknown perpetrators also tried to hang a so-called Prinsenvlag, a flag historically used by the Nazi-era NSB and today associated with the far right, on the building.
After those earlier incidents, additional security measures were taken at the building. Asked whether security would now be tightened further, the mayor of The Hague Jan van Zanen would not commit, but said he was in contact with both Jetten and Paternotte.
Cross-party condemnation
The attack drew condemnation from across the political spectrum. Coalition partners VVD and CDA spoke out alongside D66. VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz wrote on X: "How does it even cross your mind. What a cowardly action. Threatening and intimidating a political party (or anyone else) is absolutely unacceptable." CDA leader Henri Bontenbal said: "In a democracy, debate belongs, not violence." Pieter Heerma, the CDA minister of the interior, called the attack a "cowardly act."
Opposition parties responded in similar terms. Jesse Klaver, leader of GroenLinks-PvdA, called the explosion "a direct attack on our democracy and the rule of law." ChristenUnie leader Mirjam Bikker called the perpetrators "louts," while SGP MP Diederik van Dijk described the attack as "scandalous and completely unacceptable." Even right-wing PVV breakaway MP Gidi Markuszower called it likely "a targeted attack, not just on that specific party but on our rule of law and democracy" and wished D66 strength.
Justice and security minister David van Weel called the attack "scandalous" and warned that the temperature in Dutch political debate is "extremely high." "This is the axe at the root of democracy," he said.
A wider pattern
In his remarks, Jetten placed the attack in a broader context, pointing out that intimidation of public officials in the Netherlands has become almost routine. "Every week, attempts are made to intimidate municipal councillors, mayors, police or ambulance personnel," he said. "But fortunately, you also saw last night that most Dutch people make very clear that we absolutely do not accept this in our country, and that this is not a land where you can get your way through violence."
For now, the police investigation into the motive of the 37-year-old suspect continues, and the D66 office on the Lange Houtstraat remains cordoned off as forensic teams assess the damage.
