Residents of a Dutch village have launched a fundraiser in support of a 51-year-old local man convicted of assaulting an Algerian asylum seeker during an attempted citizen’s arrest.
Locals of Nieuw-Weerdinge in the province of Drenthe initiated the online campaign after the man was sentenced by a court in Assen to 80 hours of community service and ordered to pay €400 in compensation.
He was found to have confronted an Algerian national for allegedly stealing €40 from a delivery van in a case dating back to October 2023. With no police officers in sight, the local man tripped the asylum seeker, causing him to hit his head. He subsequently detained the suspected thief on a bench until the arrival of law enforcement.
Several other bystanders then intervened, kicking the suspect multiple times and resulting in his hospitalization.
The court ruled that the 51-year-old man’s actions contributed to the group violence.
The fundraising campaign was initiated by members of a neighborhood watch app, according to resident and participant Jans Sassen.
“The app was created by concerned residents,” he stated, explaining that its members monitor asylum seekers passing through Nieuw-Weerdinge between Emmen and the asylum seekers’ center in Ter Apel. “We observe whether they are simply passing through or showing undue interest in certain areas,” he added.
The group wants to raise €13,000 to cover any existing and potential future legal costs.
As reported by RTV, residents have expressed concern for years that the village has struggled with incidents involving asylum seekers, including theft, vandalism, and intimidation. Typically, law enforcement is called when issues arise, but authorities were unavailable during the October incident.
Sassen expressed frustration that the Public Prosecution Service initially dismissed the case in mid-2024, only to reopen it later. “It leaves a bitter taste — one that you’d need five liters of whiskey to wash away,” he remarked.
According to Sassen and other organizers, it is “unacceptable” that the convicted man faces punishment while the asylum seeker and the other attackers remain unpunished.
The collection campaign, which launched on March 2, has already raised more than €2,000.