Police use riot unit after unrest, arson in Amsterdam's Floradorp
Dutch police deployed the Mobile Unit after residents set fires and threw fireworks and stones at emergency workers in Amsterdam's Floradorp district, with 3 arrests.
Also in:Nederlands
Dutch police deployed the Mobile Unit (ME) in Amsterdam's Floradorp district on Wednesday evening after residents set fires and turned on emergency workers trying to put them out, broadcaster NOS reported. Three people were arrested for causing damage, including two minors, police said.
The unrest began around 17:00 when people set fire to pallets, containers and a bicycle in Sneeuwbalstraat, Het Parool reported. Someone present said the fire was tied to anger over fires not being allowed for New Year's Eve. Firefighters and police withdrew around 19:15 after bystanders turned on them; a police spokesperson said fireworks and stones were thrown at the responders.
Police returned around 20:00 as dozens of people gathered around the fire, throwing fireworks onto it, Het Parool reported. The Mobile Unit was deployed around 21:00, and firefighters put out the fire, though calm did not return immediately. Youths blocked Sneeuwbalstraat by tipping over road-work barriers, set off a smoke bomb that set a tree alight, and took bicycles from residents watching from their homes, Het Parool reported. No one was injured.
The unrest followed a letter from Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema rejecting a request from Floradorp residents to light a fire for New Year's Eve in an open container, instead upholding a ban on open fires in the neighbourhood on fire-safety grounds, NOS reported. For 73 years, Floradorp held a large bonfire on New Year's Eve until the mayor banned it in spring 2025 over safety concerns; the ban has caused recurring anger in the neighbourhood, including unrest at the end of last year when the Mobile Unit intervened several times, NOS reported.
Police said order had returned to Floradorp's streets by the end of the evening. A police spokesperson said two girls and one man were arrested, and further arrests could follow, Het Parool reported. Police previously confiscated 170 pallets gathered for fires in the weeks before last New Year's Eve, and a security camera in the neighbourhood was blown up twice, NOS reported.
Follow this story
An email when there is a real update (a new toll, a cause, an arrest). Nothing else; stop with one click.
Free: one story at a time. Members follow as many stories as they like.
What we know
- 2+ outlets · NU.nl, NOS +1 Dutch police deployed the Mobile Unit in Amsterdam's Floradorp district after residents set fires and turned on emergency workers; 3 people, including two minors, were arrested.
- 2+ outlets · NU.nl, NOS The unrest began when people set fire to pallets, containers and a bicycle in Sneeuwbalstraat; fireworks and stones were thrown at firefighters and police.
- 1 outlet · NU.nl The unrest followed a decision by mayor Femke Halsema to reject a resident request for a New Year's Eve fire and uphold a ban on open fires in the area.
- 1 outlet · NU.nl Floradorp held a traditional New Year's Eve bonfire for 73 years until it was banned in spring 2025 on safety grounds, a decision that has caused repeated unrest.
- 1 outlet · NU.nl No one was injured, police said.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
The unrest is the latest flare-up over Amsterdam's ban on Floradorp's traditional New Year's Eve bonfire, which led to repeated clashes between youths and the Mobile Unit at the end of last year. The scale of Wednesday's response, deploying riot police to a residential street over a fire dispute, shows how unresolved the row over the ban remains nearly a year on.
Sources
Reported by 3 reports from 3 independent outlets in 2 countries.
Source balance
PremiumSee how the 3 outlets behind this story spread from left to right, and which are official or OSINT sources.
Free during the launch: create an account →Log inHow we rate sources
Intelligence file
PremiumSee how we verified this story
Confidence and impact scores, the full situation report and the event timeline.
Launch offer: free for members until 31 October 2026
Questions and answers
- Why did unrest break out in Floradorp?
- Residents set fires after the mayor rejected their request to hold a fire for New Year's Eve, upholding a ban on open fires in the neighbourhood, NOS reported.
- Were there any arrests or injuries?
- Police arrested 3 people, including two minors, for causing damage; no one was injured, Het Parool reported.
- Has this happened before in Floradorp?
- Yes. Similar unrest broke out at the end of last year after the mayor first banned the neighbourhood's 73-year-old New Year's Eve bonfire tradition on safety grounds.
This article was written with AI assistance from 3 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.