Date 16 December 2015 Non-fatal injuries 3+ | Attack type Rioting Perpetrators 14 arrested | |
Location Geldermalsen, Netherlands Weapons Stones, fireworks, bottles | ||
The 2015 Geldermalsen riot was a riot in the Dutch town of Geldermalsen on 16 December 2015 in protest of plans announced by the town council of constructing an asylum centre for 1,500 migrants.
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Riots
On 16 December 2015, around 2,000 people in the town of Geldermalsen protested and rioted outside the city hall as the city announced plans to build an asylum centre and accept 1,500 asylum seekers in light of the European migrant crisis.
Protesters attempted to storm the city hall, while throwing beer bottles, fireworks and stones at police and at the city hall were politicians discussed the plans. Several protesters, two police officers, and a businesswoman (a protester) inside the city hall suffered injuries during the riot. Fourteen protesters were reported to have been arrested in the riots.
Aftermath
Dutch politicians have characterised the riot as "unacceptable" and "un-Dutch".
It was later announced that the plans of constructing an asylum centre in the town had been scrapped, with the town council taking self-criticism for the speed of the decision process and the scale of the plans.
Protests and riots have erupted in several Dutch towns and villages since 2015 in protest of plans to take in record-numbers of migrants. In January 2016 in the town of Heesch 1,000 protesters rioted after plans to take in 500 asylum seekers in the town.