Dutch police were “ambushed” and attacked with fireworks, says new report

According to a new report, Dutch police and emergency workers were allegedly “ambushed” and attacked by fireworks during New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Speaking to the NOS, Deputy Chief of Police Wilbert Paulissen reveals that certain fires were “deliberately set” to draw emergency workers into ambushes.

He points to a clear pattern, where the arsonists “assume the fire department will come, which they do, and then they go all out on the fire department with fireworks.”

“Then the police arrive, and we’re attacked,” Paulissen concludes.

Police hit by fireworks as “automatic weapons”

Social media clips show people loading heavy fireworks into tubes to create makeshift rapid-fire weapons.

Likened to “fully automatic rifles” by the NOS, these were capable of unleashing dozens of projectiles at officers, police vehicles, and fire engines — all in a matter of seconds.

The violence also reached a boiling point in Tuinzigt, Breda, where Het Parool reports that officers were “pelted with Molotov cocktails and paving stones.”

READ MORE | Chaos and riots throughout the Netherlands, emergency number 112 overwhelmed

Among the sea of videos online, Officer Paul Francken shared his “night shift” on X, giving viewers a glimpse of the chaos in Breda from the perspective of a police officer:

A video on Instagram captured the aftermath of the violence, featuring a burnt-out car, rubble, and damaged houses:

Do you think a national fireworks ban is justified, given the recent violence? Share your thoughts in the comments below.