24oranges.nl, the blog that is now a freshly squeezed column, will continue to press weird and fun Dutch things for your entertainment via DutchNews.nl.

Although I’m trying to grab your attention, I’m exorcising a demon at the same time. One of the biggest word searches ever in 15 years of 24oranges.nl was ‘animal porn’. In 2007, The Netherlands was a huge online and hardcopy distributor of it because it was not yet forbidden by law. Vade retro satana!

And recently, 18 police officers, both men and women, were reprimanded for sharing animal pornography in a WhatsApp group. One of the men got fired, as he was also sharing child pornography. Gezellig. More news on his fate should appear in the media after a court appearance on 20 January.

Biker fashion police

In late December 2021 the Supreme Court ruled that cities could no longer ban vests with biker club logos, as it violates the freedom of speech. A few cities even confiscated Hells Angels vests, which led to the court case. The cities were criticised for ‘not having a clue what constitutional law is’, which is Dutch code for ‘you’re a bunch of idiots’.

Satudarah and Bandidos are two ‘outlaw motorcycle gangs’ that are banned under Article 140 of the Criminal Code, making their logos illegal. In the case of Hells Angels and their spin-off, Hardliners, they are currently being looked into. While that’s going on, their logos are allowed. It’s time to give back those vests, methinks.

Cold case comic cops

A comic strip of a cold case has helped the police get some 250 useful tips. The 2010 case involved two rapes and an attempted rape in cellars in Schiedam and Vlaardingen where girls were attacked while storing their bicycles. The perpetrator would first ask the girls for a bike pump and then threaten them with a knife.

Since the police thought the perpetrator lived in the neighbourhood, they had a storyboard made, based on an idea from comic book artist Seb van der Kaaden. It was first suggested to late crime journalist Peter R. De Vries, and eventually the two-page story was drawn by Meinte Strikwerda and Anco Dijkman. The police also know that images work better than words, attracting a different audience who might know something.

Walking the dog

On a similar note, the Dutch Royal House Twitter account has a selfie of Queen Máxima walking her dog Mambo, reminding everyone that talking a walk is good for your mental health. The posting was made on the myth that is Blue Monday, but we should not forget about the suicide of her sister Inés either.

“Bewegen is goed voor je fysieke maar ook voor je mentale gezondheid, zeker als dat buiten kan. Vandaag, op Blue Monday, maak ik een flinke wandeling. Jij ook?” – Máxima pic.twitter.com/vhEn586fE7

— Koninklijk Huis (@koninklijkhuis) January 17, 2022

Max crashes at online Le Mans

Last weekend, a Dutch virtual racing team won the virtual 24-hour car race Le Mans. The winning driver was Jeffrey Rietveld who crossed the finish with a one-minute and three-second lead. F1 world champion Max Verstappen also participated, but sadly crashed while his team was in the lead. A total of 50 teams of four drivers each made up the event. Check out virtual highlights of the event, with Max dropping out unspectacularly at 1:50.

Compiled by Natasha Cloutier. Next update, next month