A Dutch mayor has said groups from outside his municipality may have helped fuel violent protests against a planned asylum centre, with police data showing that a significant number of people arrested at similar demonstrations had travelled from other parts of the Netherlands.
Jan Kottelenberg, mayor of Neder-Betuwe in the province of Gelderland, said recent unrest in the communities of Opheusden and Kesteren appeared to involve people from outside the municipality who encouraged local young people to take part in violent actions.
The protests began after plans were announced for a new asylum seekers’ centre that would accommodate 132 people. The demonstrations later turned violent, with police officers and public buildings targeted.
Around 300 people reportedly attended one of the demonstrations, while 10 people were arrested. Four police officers required medical treatment after suffering hearing damage.
Stones and other objects were thrown at police during the unrest, while several buildings were damaged.
The protests took place as the local council was discussing possible locations for the planned accommodation centre. Kottelenberg said he had not expected such a violent response because the municipality had not yet decided where the centre would be located.
The mayor said the violence was inconsistent with the way residents had traditionally dealt with challenges in the municipality.
Following the unrest, authorities declared Opheusden a security risk zone under an emergency order. Protest activity subsequently moved to neighbouring Kesteren, where police managed to prevent the situation from escalating further.
Kottelenberg has now said there are indications that outside groups played a role in the violence. He said adults from outside the municipality had allegedly supplied illegal fireworks that were later used by young people during the disturbances.
The mayor’s comments come amid wider concerns in the Netherlands about violent demonstrations linked to opposition to asylum accommodation.
Police data cited by Dutch public broadcaster NOS shows that people arrested for violence at anti-migrant demonstrations often came from outside the communities where the protests occurred.
Between January 2025 and May 2026, police arrested 163 people in connection with violence at such demonstrations. Information about the registered residence of roughly two-thirds of those arrested was available because many of the remaining individuals were minors whose identities received additional legal protection.
Among those whose residence information was available, 61 lived in the areas where the protests occurred, while 44 were registered elsewhere in the Netherlands.
This means that about 42 percent of the identified people arrested in the cases examined came from outside the local areas where the violent protests took place.
Some participants had travelled more than 100 kilometres to attend demonstrations.
Dutch municipalities are required by law to provide accommodation for asylum seekers according to their population size. The requirement has made the establishment of new reception centres a contentious issue in some communities.
The unrest in Neder-Betuwe has added to concerns about the security of local officials, police and residents as municipalities prepare to accommodate asylum seekers.
While authorities continue investigating the incidents, the mayor’s claims about outside involvement remain part of an ongoing assessment of how the protests were organised and who participated in the violence.