A protest against the planned construction of an asylum seekers’ center in a Dutch town escalated on Thursday evening when demonstrators threw dozens of eggs at the town hall, set off fireworks, and later hung pigs’ feet on the fence of the proposed center’s location.
The protest, organized by the local action group “Nee tegen azc” (No to Asylum Seekers’ Center), drew hundreds of residents angry about the recently announced plans to house 240 to 270 refugees in Berlicum, southeast of the city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
Though the topic was not on the agenda of the council meeting taking place inside, protesters gathered outside to voice their discontent.
Signs and banners were draped over the building while fireworks were launched by local residents. One man, a 32-year-old from Sint-Michielsgestel, was arrested while attempting to detonate heavy fireworks, according to police, who also confirmed the majority of demonstrators appeared to be from the local community.
Later that night, a fire broke out on the grounds designated for the asylum center. By morning, pigs’ feet had been hung along the fence.
Chantal Verhagen, spokesperson for the protest group, distanced the organization from that specific act, saying, “An individual will have done that. We should not judge each other — we need each other badly in this protest.” She maintained that the protest remained mostly peaceful. “You can also look at it this way: 299 people have not been arrested.”
Deputy Mayor Peter Raaijmakers condemned the confrontational nature of the protests. “It is a good right to demonstrate and also to say what you think, but it can never be the case that you use those two fundamental rights to cause destruction, hang pigs’ feet on a fence, verbally attack fellow villagers with a different opinion, and threaten people. That’s where we draw the line.”
Similar protests have been carried out across the Netherlands against municipal plans to import significant numbers of largely adult male refugees to Dutch towns and villages.
Last month, the village of Doezum, Groningen, found itself at the center of a national debate over asylum accommodation after the municipality of Westerkwartier announced plans to construct dozens of chalets on an estate at the village’s edge to accommodate 100 status holders. The village is home to just 700 residents.
Locals, who only found out about the plan through a letter, said they were blindsided by the decision.
“My 25-year-old son has been trying to find a place to live for years, but there’s nothing available,” village resident Sonja told De Telegraaf newspaper. “Yet housing for people from far away appears overnight. How is that fair?”
Residents often cite cultural differences and security concerns as major points of contention. One local woman walking her dog near the proposed site in Berlicum told local media, “I’m proud of our village. But I’m afraid. I’m going to install cameras at my house.”
Their concerns are valid. Dutch railway operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) revealed in January that it was considering removing the Maarheeze station in Brabant from its service routes due to the mounting costs of security measures required to address ongoing incidents involving residents of the nearby Budel asylum center.
“Asylum seekers sitting on the benches drinking and harassing other passengers and NS staff. And you have asylum seekers who dodge the fare,” said a spokesperson for the rail operator at the time.
In addition to anti-social behavior and petty crime, incidents of serious sexual assault and violent crime have plagued the reputations of asylum centers in the Netherlands and wider Western Europe, leading to residents displaying extra caution.
The protest group has vowed to continue its campaign with a public residents’ evening scheduled for April 2 where organizers hope local voices will be heard by the city council.
