Riot police called in as King’s Day ends in unrest in Amsterdam

King's Day rubbish in Amsterdam. Photo: Iris van den Broek ANP

The King’s Day celebrations ended in Amsterdam with riot police being drafted in to quell trouble in the Pijp district, although police said King’s Day in the capital had “generally passed off well”.

Police, including officers on horseback, took action to restore order at around 10 pm on the Albert Cuypstraat. A large group of youngsters ignored orders to turn down loud music and disperse, and then attacked a car belonging to the city council, prompting the decision to bring in the riot police.

There were a handful of arrests, the AD reported.

Earlier in the evening, a man was seriously injured in a stabbing on the Bloemgracht. Police say he is suspected to have been trying to intervene in a dispute between others. He was taken to hospital for treatment.

There were two shooting incidents elsewhere in the country, one in Rotterdam and one in Dordrecht.

In Rotterdam, a 43-year-old man was shot at a private home. In Dordrecht, a 44-year-old woman was shot at while driving a hydraulic platform truck, for reasons which remain unclear. A 19-year-old youth was arrested.

Two people were also injured in a stabbing at a café in Berkel en Rodenrijs in Zuid-Holland, and police were called in to restore order in the area. In Groningen, one person was taken to hospital after being stabbed on the Westerhaven as people were returning home at the end of the evening.

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