VIDEO “Unprecedented” New Year's violence in the Netherlands. Attacks on the police and firefighters / Two dead and many injured after incidents with fireworks

Police in the Netherlands were attacked with fireworks and faced “an unprecedented level of violence” on New Year's Eve, the authorities said on Thursday, as reported by the BBC and News.ro.

The head of the Dutch Police Union, Nine Kooiman, said she was hit with fireworks and other explosive materials during her shift in Amsterdam. She said the violence was “unprecedented”.

However, reports of attacks against police and firefighters came from all over the country.

In the city of Breda, in the south of the country, he threw incendiary bottles at the police.

New Year's Eve descended into CHAOS in Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam, Rotterdam & Berlin

Fireworks used as WEAPONS
Police, firefighters, medics TARGETED
Historic church burned
Residents locked indoors out of FEAR
Authorities called it UNPRECEDENTED VIOLENCEpic.twitter.com/SDOl36H8U6

— Marc Nixon (@MarcNixon24) January 1, 2026

Fireworks ban from 2026

In Rotterdam, the city's eye hospital said it treated 14 patients, including 10 minors, for eye injuries. Two of them underwent surgery.

Elsewhere in the country, a 17-year-old boy from Nijmegen and a 38-year-old man from Aalsmeer died in fireworks incidents, local media reported.

And in Bielefeld, Germany, local police said two 18-year-olds died after setting off fireworks.

The ban on unauthorized fireworks is due to come into force in the Netherlands in 2026.

According to the Dutch Fireworks Association, 129 million euros were spent on fireworks this year, a record amount.

Church in Amsterdam, devastated by fire

Additionally, a 19th-century church in Amsterdam was engulfed in flames in the early hours of the New Year, but the cause of the fire is still unknown. The Vondelkerk church, which overlooks the city's largest park, the Vondelpark, has been a tourist attraction since its construction in 1872.

The 50-meter high tower of the historic church collapsed. Authorities said the roof was badly damaged, but the structure appears to have remained intact.

The neo-Gothic basilica was designed by the architect Pierre Cuypers, whose works include the Rijksmuseum.

🇳🇱 Shortly after New Year's, a major fire broke out at Amsterdam's historic Vondelkerk, with flames engulfing the top of the church.

Built in the late 1800s by architect Pierre Cuypers, the former Catholic church later became a cultural and events venue after closing for worship… pic.twitter.com/8H3QGFnHzl

— Europa.com (@europa) January 1, 2026