Riots erupted in The Hague in the Netherlands on Saturday night as two rival groups of Eritreans clashed with each other and then with police officials. They set fire to police cars and a bus during the confrontation, police said.
To quell the unrest, police used tear gas to disperse the rioters who threw stones and bricks at them, The Associated Press reported. Images and videos on social media showed dozens of men in a street clashing with the police, throwing stones at them and setting fire to police cars.
Massive riots have started in The Hague in the Netherlands.
A large mob of Eritrean migrants has broken into the Opera House building and are throwing bricks and rocks at police officers. “It got seriously out of hand,” The Hague Municipality spokesman Robin Middel was quoted as saying by The Associated Press.
According to Middel, a group loyal to Eritrea’s government was holding a meeting when the Opera House came under attack by some Eritreans who opposed the African country’s government. Police spokeswoman Kristianne van Blanken said she could not immediately say whether the rioters suffered injuries or if they were arrested.
The riots in The Hague are the latest outbreak of violence involving Eritreans residing in Europe. Dozens of people, including 26 police officers, were injured after unrest erupted at an Eritrean cultural festival in the southwestern German city of Stuttgart last September, according to The Associated Press.
In the same month, violent clashes broke out between Eritrean government supporters and opponents in Israel’s Tel Aviv. Some months ago, 22 police officers suffered injuries during a clash at an Eritrean festival in the western German city of Giessen.
Tens of thousands of people have been living in Europe for many years after fleeing Eritrea, alleging repression by the government of President Isaias Afwerki, The Associated Press reported.