Urk youths who dressed up as Nazis apologise to Holocaust survivor

Part of one of the photos which were placed online
Part of one of the photos which were placed online

A group of young men from the former island of Urk who dressed up as Nazis pretending to target a man in prison clothes and wearing a star of David as a protest against Covid measures, have apologised in person to a Holocaust survivor.

Eighty-year-old Lous Steenhuis-Hoepelman, who was sent to various concentration camps during World War II, invited the group for a talk after seeing the images on September 11.

Urk, a staunchly Protestant village, has been the scene of some of the most vehement protests against vaccination and Covid measures and has the lowest vaccination rate in the country.

The boys brought flowers and apologised to Steenhuis-Hoepelman who told them about her experiences at Bergen-Belsen and Westerbork.

They now understand the emotional upset their behaviour has caused, Urk local council and the Israel information and documentation centre CIDI told local broadcaster Omroep Flevoland.

The group will also visit the Westerbork detention centre in the Netherlands in a few months time.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation