Police investigate apparent assault on pregnant refugee

Dutch police are reviewing the force used during an arrest at an asylum seekers’ centre in Zeist, near Utrecht, after footage of a heavily pregnant woman being thrown to the ground drew widespread condemnation.

The video, filmed in a corridor of the centre on Kampweg, shows several officers and a police dog confronting a man and a woman. The woman is dragged by her arm and falls to the floor; the man then throws himself at the officers and blows are exchanged before he is restrained.

Police say the footage shows only part of what happened. Officers were responding to a report of vandalism and a threat involving a knife on the evening of May 19, and a 30-year-old man was arrested and later released.

An announcement by the national police said it is reviewing the use of force and that in a fast-moving situation officers had wanted to act quickly to protect those present and themselves.

Assault allegations

The man, names on social media and in De Telegraaf as Wesam Mekdad, says he is a Palestinian from Gaza. In posts attributed to him, he said he had smashed the television, fridge and door of his room after learning that his brother had been killed in Gaza.

He also accused the police officers of trying to kill his unborn child.

The couple say their daughter was born prematurely, but healthy, five days later. None of these claims has been confirmed by the Dutch authorities.

Wtf gaat er bij je mis als agent dat je een zwangere vrouw zo behandelt, dit is politie NL en dan zich afvragen waar de verharding in de maatschappij vandaan komt.

😡😡 SCHAAM JE KAPOT 😡😡#POLITIE #politiegeweld #zwanger #zwangerenvrouw #mishandelt #ziek pic.twitter.com/KqCXN4Mh6Y

— 🇳🇱Nationaal Protest (@NProtest26265) May 29, 2026

Unknown nationality

Several details remain unverified. The official notice of his case in the Staatscourant, the government gazette, lists his nationality as unknown and records an entry ban issued on March 24, De Telegraaf reported.

The paper also notes the widely repeated claim that the woman was dragged across the floor by her hair is inaccurate – the video appears to show her being pulled by her collar.

Political reaction and threats

The footage has nevertheless garnered widespread reactions. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baqaei, wrote in Persian on social media that the treatment of the woman was “utterly barbaric and unjustifiable”

He said Dutch authorities must hold those responsible to account and accused the police of systemic bias and discrimination.

The UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, and other political influencers also shared the clip to large followings.

The reaction has spilled onto the police’s own channels. After the force posted about the arrest, the threads became filled with abuse and what it called serious threats. It switched off comments on Instagram and Facebook, saying it was too early to say if any of the messages were criminal.