Last February I reported on an incident in the Hague where rival gangs of Eritrean culture-enrichers fought each other and the police with iron bars, baseball bats, rocks, and fireworks, and amused themselves by setting vehicles on fire in the time-honored Muslim fashion.

Nine of those rambunctious youngsters have now been given jail sentences. The Dutch justice system really threw the book at them — one miscreant won’t see the light of day again for a whole year.

That’ll learn ’em.

Many thanks to Gary Fouse for translating this article from RTL Nederland:

Dozens of officers wounded

Nine Eritreans get jail sentences for their role in riots of “unprecedented intensity” in the Hague

July 19, 2024

In the Opera Central Hall on the Fruitweg on February 17, there was a meeting of the Eritrean community. A group made up of Eritreans opposed to the regime went inside and exchanged blows with those present.

“Unprecedented intensity”

According to the judge, the camera images show that most of the suspects threw paving stones at the police. The judge also holds the group responsible for the acts of other rioters. “It was a continuing process in which the group dynamic caused the violence to escalate to unprecedented intensity.”

The intensity can be seen in these images.

In total, twenty-six people were arrested for the riot. Today, the case against ten of them was heard, all between the ages of 19 and 36. Seven of them were convicted for their role in the violence, one for incitement and one, a 23-year-old man, for violence as well as incitement. A couple of days earlier, he called for a riot on TikTok.

The 23-year-old man got the longest sentence: one year in jail, and he was remanded directly into custody. The others may remain free on appeal.

One suspect acquitted

One suspect was acquitted who had filmed the riot, but according to the judge, it cannot be proven that he contributed to the riot. The other nine, according to Algemeen Dagblad have been ordered by the judge to pay for damages during the riot to the police and the transport carrier, Arriva, as well as compensation to the dozens of officers, some 750,000 euros in total. According to the AD, they will all appeal.

The prosecution had asked for 6-12 months in jail for the ten defendants.