By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
HOOFDDORP, NETHERLANDS (Worthy News) – A tense calm returned Thursday to the streets of the Dutch town of Hoofddorp, near Amsterdam, after riot police struggled to restore order when an anti-Islam activist burned a copy of the Quran, deemed a holy book by Muslims, outside an asylum seekers’ center.
The act by Edwin Wagensveld, leader of the Dutch branch of the anti-Islam PEGIDA movement, triggered anger among counter-demonstrators.
Apparently, Muslim youth, some shouting “Allahu akbar” (“Allah is greater”), threw fireworks, stones, and other objects while attacking a police van with sticks, Worthy News observed.
Riot police deployed dogs and charged the crowd to restore calm. Local media reported no serious injuries, but tensions remained high well into the night, with authorities confirming at least seven arrests, including several for “failing to comply with police orders.”
Despite the violence, Wagensveld openly defended his right to desecrate the Quran, saying it is part of his campaign against the “Islamization” of the Netherlands due to massive immigration from mainly Muslim nations
Earlier in January 2023, he tore pages from the Quran in front of the Dutch parliament, calling it a “fascist book.” His action prompted prosecutors to investigate whether this constituted “unlawful insult against Muslims.”
INSULTING TURKEY’S PRESIDENT
During another protest at the Turkish embassy in The Hague, he reportedly shouted at bystanders, “You don’t belong here,” and insulted the Turkish president, calling him “the son of a whore.”
Wagensveld has defended his actions as free speech, saying, “It is about freedom of expression, and I think that should be possible in the Netherlands.
He stressed the violent reactions from Muslims showed that Dutch basic freedoms are under threat by Islamization in the Netherlands, following years of mass immigration from mainly Muslim nations. “Islam is the only religion where you will be met with violence for giving your opinion.”
His PEGIDA stands for “Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West”, a movement that began in neighboring Germany but has spread to other parts of Europe.
PEGIDA Netherlands, led by Wagensveld, has built its reputation on anti-Islam and anti-immigration rhetoric. The group frequently stages provocative demonstrations, including Quran desecrations and protests outside mosques or asylum centers.
POLITICAL SPECTACLE CLAIMS
Critics have described their tactics as a political “spectacle” aimed at drawing media attention, and they have repeatedly triggered condemnation, counter-protests, and legal scrutiny.
Burning a religious text is not explicitly illegal under Dutch law. However, prosecutors are reviewing whether Wagensveld’s Hoofddorp action, accompanied by alleged “derogatory remarks,” violated statutes against “deliberate insults” or “incitement targeting groups.”
The local mayor and authorities defended the decision to permit the gathering, saying preventive bans would conflict with constitutional protections. Yet opponents argue that such provocations inflame hatred and threaten public safety.
The Hoofddorp clashes were the latest in a series of violent incidents at Dutch asylum centers. Just days earlier, riots broke out in The Hague, where far-right groups clashed with security forces in an anti-migration protest
Officials warn that these disturbances reflect a broader surge in anti-migration sentiment in the Netherlands. Asylum policy dominates political debate, fueled by broader concern about the rising influence of Islam and the recent killing by a rejected asylum seeker of a 17-year-old Dutch girl.
STRAINED SYSTEM
The Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) manages the country’s network of shelters, known in Dutch as AZCs. Each center usually houses between 300 and 1,500 people — far fewer than needed to accommodate the tens of thousands arriving annually.
On Thursday, the Netherlands and Uganda agreed to cooperate on returning rejected asylum seekers via Uganda as a transit point. However, officials cautioned that the system would only apply to people from countries near Uganda who must leave the Netherlands.
It comes as the government’s plans to set up many more AZSs have sparked unrest across the country. In Hoofddorp, about 24 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Amsterdam, efforts to expand asylum facilities have met stiff resistance from residents and local politicians. Critics say the system is overwhelmed, while refugee advocates stress that safe housing is a humanitarian obligation.
This week’s Hoofddorp clashes highlighted growing polarization in Dutch society, where liberal principles of free expression collide with demands from radical Muslims to submit to their religion, despite the country’s Judeo-Christian roots, commentators say.
Observers warn that the debate over Quran desecrations and asylum policy could further divide the small European nation of 18 million people, which is already grappling with political instability and unrest ahead of snap general elections on October 29.
Hoofddorp, or ‘Main Village’ with nearly 80,000 people, is the main town of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer (‘Haarlem’s Lake’), referring to the body of water from which the region was reclaimed in the 19th century.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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