AMSTERDAM:- At least 29 people were arrested on Sunday after anti-immigration protests turned violent in Amsterdam.
Previous demonstrations have been mostly peaceful. Protesters gathered at Museumplein on Sunday afternoon before marching through the Dutch capital.
The organizers of the Netherlands in Uprising event had asked participants to stay on the designated march route, which was respected.
Tensions rose as protesters entered the city center after the march ended. According to local media, protesters set off fireworks, chanted anti-immigration slogans and caused damage to the public, resulting in several arrests.
The anti-immigration rally began shortly after a similar demonstration in The Hague, where hundreds of people participated and violence erupted after rioters clashed with police, set fire to a car and vandalized the offices of the political party D66.
The incident has been condemned from across the political spectrum, including Rob Jetten, leader of the political party D66, caretaker Prime Minister Dick Schoff, and Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV).
The anti-immigration protests have taken place as the Netherlands prepares to hold mid-term elections on October 29.
The anti-immigration protests began after Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), recalled his ministers over disagreements over immigration policy, following the fall of the country’s ruling government.