The 2015 Geldermalsen riot was a

riot A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targete ...

on December 16, 2015 in the Dutch town of

Geldermalsen Geldermalsen () is a town and former municipality in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. Town of Geldermalsen The town centre of Geldermalsen contains a two-aisled Gothic church dating from the 15th century, with a Romanesque tower ...

. It started out as a protest against plans to build a new housing complex for 1,500

asylum seekers An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country and applies for asylum (i.e., international protection) in that other country. An asylum seeker is an immigrant who has been forcibly displaced and mi ...

Riots

On 16 December 2015, the Geldermalsen

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

met to discuss whether to build new accommodation for refugees who had arrived during the 2015 refugee crisis. Around 2,000 locals in Geldermalsen came to the meeting to protest, which escalated into a riot. The protesters attempted to storm the town hall, throwing beer bottles, fireworks and stones while city leaders discussed the plans inside. Several protesters, two police officers and a businesswoman inside the city hall suffered injuries during the riot.

Aftermath

The Dutch Secretary for Security and Justice,

Klaas Dijkhoff Klaas Henricus Dominicus Maria Dijkhoff (born 13 January 1981) is a Dutch legal scholar and politician who led the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the House of Representatives from 2017 to 2021. He previously was Minister of Defence ( ...

, condemned the rioting, saying, "finding shelter for asylum seekers poses difficult questions but there is a limit when it comes to expressing your opinion. The line is crossed when you barge in yelling and rioting." The city later cancelled the planned housing complex, admitting that the plans had been made too quickly and without enough consultation with locals.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Geldermalsen riots Political riots 2015 riots 2015 in the Netherlands December 2015 crimes in Europe December 2015 events in Europe European migrant crisis Xenophobia in Europe History of Gelderland 2015 Geldermalsen riot

Riots

Aftermath

See also

References