At least 87 of the people arrested during the New Year celebrations in the Brabant village of Veen will not face criminal charges, the public prosecution department has announced.

In total, 100 people were picked up after the emergency services were pelted with bottles and fireworks when they were called out to deal with a car fire. Many of those arrested had fled to a nearby café.

Despite the lack of evidence against most of those who were picked up, the public prosecution department said it stood by the decision to make mass arrests.

Tradition

‘The deliberate mass confrontation, ignoring police instructions, and the failure to keep each other under control justifies the arrest of 100 suspects,’ the department said in a statement.

Telephone taps and the seizure of heavy fireworks, pepper spray and balaclavas show the attack was prepared in advance, the department said.

The case against the 13 who remain suspects is still being investigated.

Veen, which traces its history back to the 12th century, is a trouble hotspot during the New Year celebrations and setting car wrecks on fire has become somewhat of a tradition.