Police and emergency services across the Netherlands faced widespread unrest on New Year’s Eve, marked by fireworks-related deaths, attacks on officers, and a major fire that damaged a historic Amsterdam church.
Authorities reported incidents ranging from targeted violence against responders to serious injuries among civilians, prompting a rare nationwide alert urging restraint as emergency lines became overwhelmed.
The events unfolded during what officials described as an unusually volatile start to the new year, raising renewed scrutiny of public fireworks use.
Police said they encountered an “unprecedented amount of violence” during the night, with reports of officers and firefighters being attacked across the country.
In the southern city of Breda, petrol bombs were thrown at police, while riot units were deployed in several towns as tensions escalated.
Nine Kooiman, head of the Dutch Police Union, said she was personally pelted by fireworks and explosives while on duty in Amsterdam.
Shortly after midnight, authorities issued a nationwide mobile alert advising residents not to contact emergency services unless lives were at risk.
By the end of the night, around 250 people had been arrested, according to police statements.
Hospitals also reported a surge in injuries, with Rotterdam’s eye hospital treating 14 patients, including 10 minors, two of whom required surgery.
Two people were killed in fireworks accidents during the celebrations, police confirmed.
A 17-year-old boy from Nijmegen died shortly after midnight in an incident involving fireworks, though details were not released.
In Aalsmeer, near Amsterdam, a 38-year-old man was killed in a separate fireworks-related incident that remains under investigation.
In Amsterdam, a fire broke out shortly after midnight at the neo-Gothic Vondelkerk, a 19th-century church overlooking the Vondelpark.
The blaze caused the collapse of the church’s 50-metre tower and severe roof damage, though authorities said the main structure was expected to remain intact.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
This New Year marked the final celebration before a nationwide ban on consumer fireworks sales is due to take effect in 2026, after record spending of €129 million on fireworks this year.