The location of the meeting of the Nederlandse Federatie Eritrese Gemeenschappen, the Dutch Federation of Eritrean Communities in English (The Hague event center), had been kept secret but was discovered by a group of opponents to the Eritrean regime. There were also other events going on at the center at the time; around 1,500 people were inside. According to the court, they experienced some "terrifying hours. "The "continuous deployment of the police and riot police" prevented the rioters from entering the center.

According to the court, Johannes A. is "a leading figure within the part of the Eritrean community that opposes the current regime." He did not just play a leading role by riling others up but was also actively involved in the violence and was involved in setting the tour coach alight. He gave a speech to others in the Zuiderpark after the riots, which included glorifying the violence. "Many opponents of the regime take his statements seriously because of his authority."

The court convicted ten other suspects to a maximum of 12 months in prison in July with a part of those sentences conditionally suspended. Another 20 rioters will be in court for the riots in October and the beginning of November.