The D66 party headquarters in The Hague was targeted with a firework bomb late last night, leaving the building on Lange Houtstraat visibly damaged.
No one was injured, despite around thirty people being inside at the time, and police have since arrested a suspect, reports RTL Nieuws.
Those present were members of the party’s youth branch, the Jonge Democraten (Young Democrats). They escaped through a rear emergency exit.
‘A cowardly act of intimidation’
Prime Minister and D66 leader Rob Jetten described the attack in an X post as “a cowardly act of intimidation,” adding that a democratic society “will never allow itself to be silenced by violence.”
Een vuurwerkbom door de brievenbus van het partijbureau van D66. Een laffe daad van intimidatie. Voor wie denkt angst aan te kunnen jagen, heb ik een boodschap: wij laten ons in democratisch Nederland nooit het zwijgen opleggen door geweld. Veel dank aan politie en brandweer voor… https://t.co/F9DMMtQ5Td
— Rob Jetten (@MinPres) May 7, 2026
Translation: A firework bomb was thrown through the letterbox of the D66 party office. A cowardly act of intimidation. To those who think they can instil fear, I have a message: in a democratic country like the Netherlands, we will never allow violence to silence us. Many thanks to the police and fire service for their swift response.
Mayor of The Hague Jan van Zanen called the violence “unacceptable,” saying that “in a democracy, you disagree with words.” He said he was in touch with both Jetten and parliamentary leader Paternotte in the wake of the attack, RTL Nieuws reports.
The bombing comes at a charged moment for D66, which narrowly won October’s national elections and now leads the Dutch government under Jetten.
Not the first time
The Lange Houtstraat office has been targeted before. Last autumn’s far-right riots (triggered by a demonstration on the Malieveld) left the building with smashed windows and €34,000 in damage.
Speaking on the television program Pauw & De Wit, Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, D66, described the latest perpetrators as “scum of the earth.”
At this time, the police have confirmed one arrest, and the investigation is ongoing.
What are your thoughts on this latest political violence in the Netherlands? Share your thoughts below.
