Netherlands Non-centralized leadership Beatrix (Monarch of the Netherlands)Mark Rutte (Prime Minister of the Netherlands)Liesbeth Spies (Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations)Max van den Berg (Queen's Commissioner of Groningen)Rob Bats (Mayor of Haren)Peter Rehwinkel (Mayor of Groningen)John Jorritsma (Queen's Commissioner of Friesland)Jacques Tichelaar (Queen's Commissioner of Drenthe) Project X Haren was an event that started out as a public invitation to a birthday party by a girl on Facebook, but ended up as a gathering of thousands of youths causing riots on 21 September 2012 in the town of Haren, Groningen, Netherlands.

The event was unprecedented in the Netherlands, but in June 2011, a German girl had posted similar birthday invitations on the internet.

Hundreds of mostly drunk youths gathered in Hamburg, Germany, causing a great deal of damage and rioting against the police.

[2][3] On 6 September 2012, a 15-year-old girl from Haren, sent 78 friends a public invitation to her 16th birthday via the social network site Facebook.

Project X Haren was run by a 21-year-old man from Christchurch, New Zealand, and an unknown individual from Berlin calling himself "Ibe Der Fuhrer".

[5][6] After the invitation, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other weblogs and internet forums were quickly filled with conversations regarding Project X.

On 14 September, the girl's parents distributed a letter in their neighborhood to warn residents of their rising concerns.

On 18 September, the municipality of Haren and the local police force agreed to act strongly if the party escalated.

[12] In the morning and afternoon a few hundred people had traveled to Haren, but the number of visitors appeared to be diminishing towards the beginning of the evening.

According to the police, the destruction of property was extremely violent and well-planned, and the rioters deliberately sought confrontation.