The municipalities of Amersfoort and Utrecht have issued separate emergency orders for parts of their city on Monday evening. Young people gathered in different places to cause disturbances.
In Amersfoort it concerns the area around the Kruiskamp district and the statue of De Stier on the Flierbeeksingel, after young people urged each other via social media to gather there and “kick a mess”. One arrest has been made so far. Peace would have returned by now.
The municipality of Utrecht has issued an emergency order for the Zuilen district and the area around Marnixlaan. An emergency order also applies in the vicinity of Hoograven. Pelting young people according to the municipality the police with stones and fireworks. It is unknown whether arrests were made in Utrecht.
People who do not live in the vicinity are requested to leave the area.
A spokesman for the Central Netherlands police said earlier in the evening that the atmosphere had been relatively calm so far. “We act when necessary, just as we did with similar calls in The Hague and Utrecht.”
In Amersfoort, young people had called on people to gather near the statue of De Stier. Slogans like “we’re going to blow things up” were shared on social media, police confirm. Regional partner Regio15 reports that the police are in large numbers on some streets and are ordering the young people to leave.
Earlier also disturbances in Utrecht and The Hague
Because of the call, Amersfoort seems to become the third city where it is becoming restless because of rioting young people. Last week, a lot of damage was caused in the Schilderswijk in The Hague, where fires were started, fire hydrants were opened and heavy fireworks were set off. In addition, officers were pelted with stones and eggs and the mobile unit of the police had to be involved.
After that it also became restless in Utrecht. In several places in Overvecht and Kanaleneiland there were disturbances between young people and the police. One officer was slightly injured. At least fifty young people were arrested in both cities.
The Utrecht mayor Peter den Oudsten did not have a good word about the riots in his city last weekend. “The violence that has been used is absolutely not possible. We must therefore deal hard with the perpetrators”, the mayor said on Monday. Radio M Utrecht.
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