Netherlands Sees Unprecedented Violence Against Police, Emergency Services On New Year’s Eve

Last Updated:January 01, 2026, 23:46 IST

Across the country, reports emerged of police cars, fire engines and ambulances being attacked as they tried to carry out their work.

Authorities issued a rare nationwide alert, urging people not to call emergency services unless lives were at immediate risk. (AFP file photo)

The Netherlands witnessed an unprecedented level of violence against police officers and emergency workers during New Year’s Eve celebrations, authorities said, as unrest broke out across several cities amid heavy use of fireworks.

The head of the Dutch Police Union, Nine Kooiman, called the situation as deeply alarming, saying police and emergency services faced attacks not seen in previous years.

She said officers, firefighters and paramedics were repeatedly targeted with fireworks, stones and other objects while responding to incidents. Kooiman herself said she was hit several times by fireworks while on duty in Amsterdam.

Across the country, reports emerged of police cars, fire engines and ambulances being attacked as they tried to carry out their work. In the southern city of Breda, people reportedly threw petrol bombs at police officers. Firefighters were also targeted while trying to put out blazes caused by fireworks.

Shortly after midnight, authorities issued a rare nationwide alert, urging people not to call emergency services unless lives were at immediate risk.

The violence came during a night already marked by tragedy. Two people, a 17-year-old boy and a 38-year-old man, died in fireworks-related accidents, while several others were seriously injured. Hospitals, including a specialist eye hospital in Rotterdam, treated many patients, including children, for severe eye injuries.

The unrest also coincided with major incidents in Amsterdam, where a large fire gutted the historic Vondelkerk church. While the cause of the blaze remains unclear, the fire added further pressure on emergency crews already stretched by the night’s events.

New Year’s Eve was the last before an expected ban on unofficial fireworks in the Netherlands. As a result, fireworks sales reached record levels, with people spending millions of euros despite designated firework-free zones in some areas.

(With inputs from AFP)

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