AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (Reuters) - Kurdish refugees protesting a Dutch government
decision that would force them to leave the country clashed with police in The Hague
Thursday and smashed windows at the Dutch parliament building.

Two police officers were injured in the clash, one with a broken jaw and another with broken
fingers, and seven protesters were arrested, police spokesman Frans van Rijswou said.

A number of streetcars in the city were damaged by protesters.

About 500 people marched from a park to the parliament building, where they presented
parliamentarians with a petition calling on the Dutch government to reverse a decision made
last year that declared northern Iraq a safe area for Kurds.

The decision would revoke the refugee status of many Kurds currently residing in the
Netherlands and force them to leave the country.

A group of protesters tried to force their way into the building after presenting the petition,
but were turned back by police, prompting the clash, van Rijswou said.
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The Kurdistan Observer
www.kurdistanobserver.com