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Update 2: Panic during Remembrance Day ceremonyTuesday 04 May 2010 Dozens of people were injured after panic broke out during the Remembrance Day commemorations on Amsterdam's Dam square on Tuesday evening when a man began shouting during the two minutes silence. The man has been arrested but the motive for his actions is still unclear, a police spokesman told Nos tv. Most of the injured had either broken bones or scrapes and bruises received when parts of the crowd began moving following the shouts. At least one safety barrier fell during the crush. According to eyewitnesses quoted on the Telegraaf website the man was on the telephone during the two minutes silence and called to order by other people in the crowd. 'Then he began to shout. Another person hit him, probably to shut him up, and then he was taken off by the police. That is when the panic started,' one eyewitness told the paper. Telegraaf columnist Selale Dogan said witnessed another person in the crowd jump on the man. 'People began to scream and push. They tried to get away. It was chaos but no-one knew what was going on,' Dogan said. Suitcase But news agency ANP said the panic started when a man threw out his arms and started declaiming to the crowd. He was arrested by police, which led to the panic. A second man, who dropped a suitcase, was also arrested, ANP said. Black coat On the Volkskrant website, an eyewitness said a smiling man who was talking to himself forced his way through the crowd. 'He was wearing a long black coat, had a heavy beard and long sideburns. He looked to be around 35,' the eyewitness said. 'He then began to scream 'HEEEEEEEEE!!!’, an angry shout from nothing.'
Queen Beatrix was ushered away from the ceremony during the incident but returned a few minutes later after order had been restored. The ceremony was then resumed. The tens of thousands of people present on the Dam were told someone had been taken ill. Before the two minutes silence, wreaths had been laid by the queen, crown prince Willem-Alexander, political leaders and Amsterdam's acting mayor Lodewijk Asscher. In a speech, prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende spoke about Miep Gies, the women who helped Anne Frank hide from the Nazis during World War II and who died a few months ago. Gies did not consider herself a hero, but said her history was the 'story of ordinary people in terrible times,' he said. 'We are those ordinary people,' the prime minister said. 'We keep the memories of all Dutch victims alive.'
© DutchNews.nl
Thank you very much for this information. It is so difficult to understand what is going on when you do not speak the language. By Tan | May 4, 2010 8:51 PM Thank you for the information. We were there, I hope that person will be punished in accordance to the law and moral principles. The ceremony was perfect. By Sergey | May 4, 2010 9:07 PM Thank god my Dutch freinds are ok. By jim ross | May 4, 2010 9:10 PM My child is taking part in this service! If the legal system there can't punish this individual, I suggest you allow the parents of the kids attending this service from other countaries an opportunity!
By Mother of Child attending Service | May 4, 2010 9:33 PM @ Sergey - It´s sounds very much to me that the man concerned was mentally disturbed. I don´t think we need to be thinking of punishing a sick human being. By Deep Throata | May 4, 2010 10:22 PM Long live the queen and the royal family, No1 can stop them.The ceremony was great like allways. By J. van Rijn | May 4, 2010 10:35 PM To the mother of a child - Is it not apparent to you that this person was mentally disturbed? I find your desire (and method) for punishment very disturbing indeed. Frankly, I feel sorry for your child that you should have such an attitude. By Deep Throat | May 4, 2010 10:36 PM Hello, I was there, from the States. We weren't far from where this happened. I'm wondering why the scream seemed to get louder, as if someone was running or riding in something while they were screaming? Crazy. By JJJ | May 4, 2010 10:39 PM They forget to mention that the man who dropped the suitcase, dropped it because he was shaken from the screaming man. He is completely innocent! (despite his act of freight helped cause mass hysteria by accident...) By KittyO. | May 4, 2010 10:48 PM @Deep Throata- By OwnOpinion | May 4, 2010 11:51 PM @ Deep Throata - That sounds like a perfect idea to me! Crazy people should be walking around freely, in order to disturb national holidays without risking anything! Excellent! By Melvin | May 4, 2010 11:56 PM Since 9/11 in the US I hear the Dutch always talking about how outrageous the security measures are in the US. Maybe now the Dutch are more outrageous than the Americans??? By Quest | May 5, 2010 12:08 AM I was there with my family, and my small child was nearly ran over on his buggy because of the actions of this man... If he has mental problems, he should be commited for treatment, but his actions need to be addressed. Too many people were hurt. By JMMelo | May 5, 2010 12:18 AM Second icident with the Dutch Royal family in public appearances recently...odd...or planned! By Sir | May 5, 2010 2:35 AM I don't think he was mentally disturbed. I think he was just drunk. He was making his way through the crowd, looking for his bike or something, a jewish guy with a beard and sideburns. He was the only one speaking to himself saying something about "fiets" (dutch for bike) and a few people asked him to shut up. He passed so close by me that I could smell the alcohol. A minute later, when he reached the people in the front of the crowd, he screamed something. People freaked out and pulled back. We first thought that someone jumped from a building or that it was a terrorist attack. Seeing those hundreds of people pulling back towards us with such a force was really scary. Good thing that the panic only last for 10 seconds. By Ana | May 5, 2010 3:18 AM Long time ago, when faced with danger, like our cousins baboons or chimps for example, human beings behaved in another way of a gnus' herd. By Marko | May 5, 2010 4:48 AM this what happens when people are conditioned - for all the wrong reasons - to believe there are terrorists in their midst. thus, a drunk man looking for his bike and talking out loud during two minutes silence causes panic By mucker | May 5, 2010 8:43 AM If the man concerned was genuinely mentally disturbed, then screaming for punitive punishment is nothing short of hysteria and lynch mob mentality. To compare this incident with the one in Canada where the man ate his victims flesh is indicative of such hysteria. I did not suggest that people with mental illness should be able to walk the streets and cause panic and anxiety among the general public. I merely pointed out that screaming for punishment and revenge was unacceptable in a civilised society. Such people need help and if that means being locked away under strict supervision, then so be it. Some of the above comments show a clear lack of understanding and compassion for humanity. He never killed anyone and those unfortunate enough to be injured, got injured because others panicked. By Deep Throat | May 5, 2010 8:46 AM I am with you Deep Throat. Society is becoming extreme in too many strange ways... By Jo | May 6, 2010 12:33 PM if this is how people here behave in an emergency situation, eg. a fire breaks out, i wonder how many more stampedes will there be in this country. it is hard to remain calm in a sudden situation that takes us by shock but at least maintina one ounce of sanity to behave in an orderly manner and leave the vicinity. society here has such a false sense of security and order people don't seem to be able to react well in crowded places and seemingly dangerous situations. By kky | May 6, 2010 3:26 PM I just think people need to relax. Paranoia is running wild and people are acting more and more like frightened sheep. Seriously, people need to wake up and get some perspective. Stop being afraid of some invisible threat. Live your life, be and act free. Because if you keep acting crazy, the government WILL end up protecting you, then you will be crying about your lack of freedom. By Kris | May 6, 2010 4:59 PM
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´´another man hit him, probably to shut him up´´
I like that man!!
By Deep Throat | May 4, 2010 8:49 PM