Netherlands police face ‘unprecedented’ New Year’s violence
Police in the Netherlands were showered with fireworks on New Year’s Eve and subjected to “unprecedented violence”, officers said.
The cause of the fire that broke out in a 19th-century church in Amsterdam in the early hours of New Year’s Eve is not yet known.
Overlooking Vondelpark, the city’s largest park, Vondelkerk has been a tourist attraction since it was built in 1872.
Elsewhere in the Netherlands, a 17-year-old boy and a 38-year-old man were killed in fireworks incidents. Local police in Bielefeld, Germany, said two 18-year-olds died after setting off homemade fireworks.
Nine Kooiman, president of the Dutch Police Association, said he was pelted with fireworks and other explosives during his shift in Amsterdam.
He said the amount of violence was “unprecedented”.
News of attacks on police and firefighters spread across the country.
Molotov cocktails were thrown at police in the southern city of Breda. The city’s eye hospital in Rotterdam said it treated 14 patients, 10 of whom were minors, for eye injuries. Two of them had surgery.
According to local media reports, a 17-year-old boy from Nijmegen and a 38-year-old man from Aalsmeer died in fireworks incidents.
The 50 meter high tower of the historical Vondelkerk church in Amsterdam collapsed. Officials said the roof was heavily damaged but the structure was expected to remain intact.
The neo-Gothic basilica was designed by architect Pierre Cuypers, whose works include the Rijksmuseum.
The unofficial fireworks ban is expected to come into force in 2026. A record €129 million (£112 million) has been spent on them this year, according to the Dutch Pyrotechnics Association.
