"Police baton charged protesters gathering around a centre proposed for use to house asylum seekers in The Hague’s Vogelwijk district on Saturday. Protesters can be seen knocking down barricades placed to secure the entrance of the centre. Riot police can also be seen patrolling the neighbourhood, arresting protesters and baton charging to disperse them. They said the building, which is intended to be turned into a facility for asylum seekers, had been earmarked for use as a hospital for the elderly. “We must first think of our own people who are already living here in the Netherlands. We need to be able to house them normally,” Harnie, a resident, said. Local authorities say the former Red Cross hospital would be used as a temporary shelter for asylum seekers and the homeless, as well as housing for refugees with refugee status and first-time residents. This would involve approximately 750 people in total. “Europe is being ruined by all that influx of asylum seekers,” a senior citizen at the protest commented, noting that care for the elderly had been cut back as a result. "All those extreme Muslim parties, that's going to cause one big war here in Europe soon. You're just inviting that in," she continued. “Why are they busy destroying Europe, provoking war? First of all. Oh, and there'll get civil wars soon. This is provoking all of that,” she warned. Some warned about the danger of mixing homeless people, others with drugs and alcohol addiction with asylum seekers, expecting them to co-exist and support one another. “Many refugees come from war zones with PTSD. And they bring a lot of aggression with them. And this little neighbourhood is one of the quietest neighbourhoods in The Hague, so basically they want to place a group here that takes away the peace in the last quiet district,” she added. “Why should we then have to bring in a population group with PTSD?” "How can you ask from a drug addict or an alcohol addict or a homeless person to take the trauma of somebody who ran away from war and from politics to carry it?" questioned another. According to local media, the former hospital on Sportlaan currently serves as a winter shelter for about 80 homeless people. Local authorities plan to move other groups, including asylum seekers, refugees, and homeless families, into the building. Eventually, roughly 750 temporary residents are expected to live there."