Police make 13 arrests at Remembrance Day ceremony in Amsterdam
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Add as a favourite source on Google Add DutchNews as a favourite source on GooglePolice arrested 13 people during Monday’s Remembrance Day ceremonies in Amsterdam, including one person who shouted out during the two minutes’ silence.
Nine people were arrested for refusing orders to demonstrate elsewhere, while three arrests were made for disturbing the peace, police said. All 13 were released later in the evening.
Video footage from people in the crowd showed two women being led away after shouting “Free Palestine”. Other protesters were escorted from the square before the ceremony carrying signs saying “Never again is now”.
Earlier in the day a protester was arrested after grabbing an Israeli flag during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Dam Square.
Several hundred people took part in an authorised demonstration before marching to the city centre, hours before the national ceremony to remember the war dead.
Social media footage showed police leading two women away from the demonstration, one of whom was later arrested. Police say she broke the flagpole of a counter-protester who was waving an Israeli flag.
“She was arrested for vandalism and the case has been passed to the prosecution service, as usual,” a police spokesman said. No other incidents were reported.
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Police are still looking for three people who are accused of spraypainting the national war memorial in Amsterdam with slogans in the early hours of Monday.
Camera footage shows the three suspects leaving the scene on bicycles at around 4.30am with a large carrier bag.
Local newspaper Het Parool received a video of the memorial being daubed with tags and slogans including the word “genocide”. The film was sent by the activist group Palestine Action Amsterdam, but it was not clear if they claimed responsibility.
Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema condemned the action as an “unbelievably cowardly act” in a message on social media. Prime minister Rob Jetten described it as “idiotic and completely unacceptable”.
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