Two people have been arrested during a second night of protests at the site of a refugee accommodation centre near Hilversum.

Riot police dispersed a crowd of around 300 people who gathered at the former council hall in Loodsdrecht, some of whom threw eggs and fireworks at police. News website NH Nieuws described the atmosphere as “grim”.

The demonstration was organised by Defend Netherlands, an extreme-right network that has been prominent at anti-immigration protests, including the riots in The Hague in September where 37 people were arrested and the headquarters of liberal political party D66 was attacked.

One protester in Loosdrecht shouted: “Where is Mark?”, referring to Mark Verheijen, the mayor of the municipality of Wijdemeren, while others attached rolls of toilet paper to the gates of the building.

The municipality wants to use the empty building on Rading as a temporary shelter for 100 asylum seekers to relieve pressure on the ovecrowded reception centre in Ter Apel, Groningen.

The building is disused because Wijdemeren is due to merge with neighbouring municipality Hilversum later this year. Elections to the new council will be held in November.

The first demonstration was held on Monday night after a petition with 3,000 signatures against the decision to house asylum seekers in the building was handed in to the council.

Fines in Epe

Some residents object on the grounds that the emergency shelter is too close to local amenities such as sports clubs, while others complained they had not been properly consulted on the decision.

The refugee accommodation agency COA stressed the arrangement was temporary and the first residents would be arriving this week.

Protests have also been held in the last week on an industrial estate near Den Bosch where the local council wants to house 50 asylum seekers aged between 15 and 18.

The COA has also started paying daily fines that were triggered after it failed to find alternative accommodation for more than 250 asylum seekers staying in a hotel in Epe, Gelderland.

The agency signed an agreement with the local council in March 2024 to use the Fletcher Hotel for two years, but it says it is unable to move all the residents to other locations.

The council has ordered the COA to pay €63,480 for every day the refugees stay in the hotel, up to a maximum of €11.4 million.

Local mayor Tom Horn said: “We understand that there is huge pressure on asylum accommodation, but residents and business owners should be able to rely on us to keep to our agreements and enforce them.

“This decision is not directed at those living in emergency shelters, but against a situation that has become legally and administratively untenable.”

A spokesman for the COA said: “We cannot put people out on the streets. The solution to this is to make sure there are enough accommodation places.”