“Trumpian situations”: Politicians describe far-right riots in The Hague as political violence

Scenes in The Hague on Saturday afternoon were anything but typical. Rioters threw bottles and bollards, police cars were set on fire, windows were smashed, and rioters attempted to enter the Binnenhof.

Nope, these activities were not typical of a Saturday in The Hague. According to some Dutch politicians, they were acts of political violence.

Wait, what happened?

Before we get into how Saturday’s events are being viewed, let’s quickly break down what happened.

At 1 PM on Saturday, right-wing activist, “Els Rechts”, organised an anti-immigration demonstration on the Malieveld.

While the demonstration started peacefully, things quickly escalated to scenes straight out of Trump’s wet dreams.

A group of rioters entered the Utrechtsebaan (A12) and began clashing with police. The area around the Malieveld quickly turned to chaos. Police cars were set alight, and bottles and bollards were thrown.

The group of rioters then moved into the city centre, where they smashed the windows of the office building belonging to D66 (Democrats 66, a social liberal party).

As they carried out the attack, some rioters could be heard screaming “kankerjoden” (cancerjews).

The rioters also attempted to enter the Binnenhof, smashing windows in the historic building as they went before moving to Het Plein, a busy area full of cafés and restaurants.

According to the NOS, Els Rechts later condemned the actions of the rioters.

Not just hooligans

Speaking with the political program Buitenhof, D66 party leader Rob Jetten has described the far-right riots as an expression of political violence.

While some politicians, such as outgoing finance minister Eelco Heinen, are telling the press that the rioters were merely hooligans who had “nothing to do with politics,” many others disagree.

Speaking on Buitenhof, Jetten points out that the rioters used words and phrases often used in the House of Representatives by politicians such as Geert Wilders.

“They didn’t shout ‘Go ADO’ or ‘Go FC Utrecht,’ but they chanted slogans about reclaiming the Netherlands,” Jetten says on the show.

According to the NOS, the SP (Socialist Party) and GroenLinks-PvdA (GreenLeft-Labour Party) agree with Jetten, with SP’s leader Jimmy Dijk saying that “this is the Netherlands after decades of right-wing politics.”

Far right symbol used

What also doesn’t help the “hooligans” argument is the fact that rioters displayed prince’s flags. These flags have become a symbol for the far-right.

The NOS reports that alongside the use of antisemetic slogans, the Hitler salute was also used by rioters.

Taking to X, GroenLinks-PvdA leader Frans Timmermans described the riots as “Trumpian situations, fueled by politicians who sow fear and division.”

NSB-vlaggen op het Malieveld. Geweld tegen de politie door extreemrechts. Onacceptabel. Dit zijn Trumpiaanse toestanden, gevoed door politici die angst en verdeeldheid zaaien.

Stil blijven is geen optie. Je moet je laten horen. Samen staan we sterker. pic.twitter.com/B0ILxNrz5j

— Frans Timmermans (@F__Timmermans) September 20, 2025

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In response, Geert Wilders accused Timmermans of being an “inciter” by linking the riots to politics, the NOS writes.

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