First Haren rioters in court next month

The first of the rioters arrested in the Groningen commuter town of Haren this weekend will appear in court on Tuesday, the public prosecution department in the northern city said.


The trouble happened after an invitation to a 16th birthday party went viral, and thousands of youngsters turned up to celebrate.
Of the 35 men arrested, 31 will face charges so far. They range in age from 15 to 40 and 11 are under the age of 18.
Six people, who face more serious charges, will appear in court on Tuesday, the rest during three special court sessions in October, a spokeswoman told Nos radio.
Damage
The justice ministry also plans to try to ensure the rioters have to pay for the damage.
So far 50 people have come forward to report vandalism to their property and police expect to make more arrests after studying video footage.
Twenty-five officers are involved in the investigation. In particular they are looking at the attack on an 84-year-old man who was reportedly hit by a paving tile in his kitchen.
Former Labour leader and Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen has been given the job of chairing the committee investigating how the riots developed and the role of the city council.
Meanwhile police have said they will come down hard on people who attempt to set up Project X viral parties in other Dutch cities, such as Amsterdam.
‘If necessary we will make arrests. We are keeping a close eye on the social media,’ said Amsterdam police spokeswoman Ellie Lust in the Parool.

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