Five people accused of attacking a building where anti Zwarte Piet campaigners were holding a meeting last November will not face trial because of a lack of evidence, the public prosecution department said.

The five were all arrested on the evening of the attack in The Hague but there is not enough evidence to prove they took part, the department said.

The meeting of about 70 activists was broken up after vigilantes smashed the windows of the building, attacked it with fireworks and vandalised cars parked outside.

After the incident terrorism expert Teun van Dongen told NRC that the latest incident reflected the radicalisation of the so-called ‘pro-Pete’ movement, as white supremacist groups such as Pegida and football hooligans have adopted the cause in recent years.