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  6.  » Netherlands New Year chaos sees two killed by fireworks as thugs battle in the streets, ‘unprecedented’ violence and 19th century church destroyed – as country bans pyrotechnics today

A Tram stop is blown up with a makeshift explosive device in the Transvaal district of the Hague Jan 1, 2026

Taryn Kaur Pedlar – Daily Mail Jan 1, 2026

The New Year festivities in the Netherlands left two people dead, saw ‘unprecedented’ violence against police and destroyed a 19th century Amsterdam church.

A 17-year-old boy from Nijmegen and a 38-year-old man from Aalsmeer were killed in fireworks accidents. Three others were left seriously injured.

One person has been arrested in connection to the teenager’s death, but authorities have not yet revealed any information on the suspect’s identity and an investigation is ongoing.

Images captured in the early hours of Thursday morning showed hooded thugs battling in the streets, launching fireworks towards buildings and clashing with police.

Cops made around 250 arrests during throughout the New Year’s Eve celebrations.

According to Chief of Police Wilbert Paulissen: ‘By mid-evening, the Mobile Unit had to intervene in many places. Almost all available riot police officers we have in the Netherlands were on duty. A truly maximum deployment that lasted half the night.’

Groups of residents from neighbouring streets clashed using fireworks as weapons. Click to enlarge

Following the chaotic night, the head of the Dutch Police Union, Nine Kooiman, reported an ‘unprecedented amount of violence against police and emergency services’ over New Year’s Eve.

She said she herself had been pelted three times by fireworks and other explosives as she worked a shift in Amsterdam.

Shortly after midnight, authorities released a rare country-wide alert on mobile phones warning people not to call overwhelmed emergency services unless lives were at risk.

Reports of attacks against police and firefighters were widespread across the country. In the southern city of Breda, people threw petrol bombs at police.

Firefighters responded to nearly 4,300 calls overnight. The Brandweer Nederland (Dutch Fire Service) said it was a ‘busy, intense New Year’s Eve’.

The fires mainly involved burning cars and containers, and piles of rubbish in the streets.

In several areas, the fire department encountered violence, with people throwing explosives at them. ‘This has to stop; our people are there to help, not to be targets of violence,’ said Jolande Trijselaar, chair of the Dutch Fire Service.

In Amsterdam, a huge inferno broke out in the early hours at the Vondelkerk Church, a tourist attraction that has overlooked one of the city’s top parks since 1872.

The 164ft tower collapsed and the roof was badly damaged but the structure was expected to remain intact, Amsterdam authorities said.

Police intervened in Dam Square, Amsterdam, after youths set off fireworks indiscriminately. Click to enlarge

The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear.

Dozens of homes had to be evacuated because of the fire, which sent showers of cinders on to nearby properties.

Others were left without power to allow fire officers to tackle the fire in the listed building, which is now used as a cultural centre.

Rotterdam’s specialist eye hospital reported a large number of young patients this year with one doctor saying 85 per cent of the patients were minors.

Most had been watching fireworks when they were injured, according to Dutch News, and two received surgery.

The Catharina Hospital in Eindhoven described it as ‘an incredibly busy and intense night’. Haaglanden MC in The Hague, one of the largest emergency departments in the country, also treated ‘more patients due to fireworks than in previous years’.

The Haga Hospital treated 65 injured people at its locations in The Hague and Zoetermeer.

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