Homes vandalized in Engelen, NL over minor asylum centre, mayor condemns

In the Dutch villages of Engelen and Bokhoven, more than ten houses and several vehicles were defaced with anti‑asylum‑centre slogans such as “AMV nee”, “POA” and profanity. Police say the graffiti targets residents perceived as supporting the planned reception centre for unaccompanied minor refugees (aged 15‑18) that the municipality of Den Bosch intends to locate on an industrial site near Engelen. The municipality announced the plan in early April to house about 50 minors, sparking months of protests, road blockades on the A59 and an earlier explosion near the proposed building. Police have received multiple complaints and are investigating the vandalism. Mayor Jack Mikkers called the acts “unacceptable”, “an attack on the rule of law”, and said he personally visited affected households to reassure them of their right to feel safe at home. The mayor pledged that authorities will pursue the perpetrators with “maximum severity”. The incident adds a new, more hostile dimension to the ongoing local dispute over the asylum‑centre project.