Overview
- Eight people were arrested at Saturday’s demonstration; seven were released after questioning with fines, and one remains in custody on suspicion of assault, the Public Prosecution Service said.
- A police officer was struck on the back of the head with an object, treated by ambulance staff, and has since reported sick, according to police.
- Mayor Jan van Zanen temporarily designated the Sportlaan area a veiligheidsrisicogebied, enabling preventive searches and a ban on face coverings to prevent disorder.
- Riot police executed charges and used batons to clear the street, pursued remaining troublemakers into the neighborhood, and restored order; local outlets reported some demonstrators made Hitler salutes and tried to reach the building, overturning a gate.
- The former Haga hospital currently shelters about 80 homeless people and is slated to expand in phases to roughly 750 temporary residents; protesters cite Amsterdam’s Stek Oost as a warning, while The Hague officials say the Sportlaan plan differs and will be centrally managed by the municipality.