Hundreds of refugees split a quiet village in the Netherlands

About 200 residents of the village of Kesteren in the Dutch province of Gelderland took part in a protest against the possible opening of the center for asylum seekers. According to De Telegraaf, police detained seven people.

The protest began after authorities restricted entry to nearby Opheisden, where a municipal council meeting was taking place at the time. At first, the action was calm, but later the participants began to use powerful pyrotechnics. After that, special police units arrived at the place and began dispersing the demonstrators.

"No refugee camp!" and "Get out of here!",

- the participants chanted.

Four detainees are suspected of illegally using pyrotechnics. Three more are accused of resisting law enforcement officers.

The final decision on the location of the center of power of the municipality of Neder-Betuve has not yet been made. Among the options under consideration is a shelter for about 150 asylum seekers or a larger facility for 300 people.

The week before, the Opheisden protest also ended in riots. Several dozen participants clashed with the police, broke windows and refused to comply with the requirements of law enforcement officers. Then 14 people were detained.

After the incident, the head of the municipality Jan Kottelenberg introduced additional security measures. In particular, movement in the streets in groups was limited to two people, and entry to Opheisden without good reason was temporarily prohibited.

The situation is developing against the background of a high load on the system of reception of migrants in the Netherlands. In the spring of 2026, the number of people in the main center in Ter Apel exceeded the established limit, and the shortage of places for accommodation in the country was in the thousands. The opening of new centers in different municipalities has repeatedly caused protests by local residents.

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