The Public Prosecution Service states that the vast majority of the violence used by the police has been lawful. But the Public Prosecution Service now wants to submit the violence against that one victim to the court.
The protester brandished a jumper cable and refused to drop it. He then ran after police horses and threw the cable at a rioter. A dog handler wanted to arrest the man and used his baton. An riot police officer also used his baton on the demonstrator, who in the meantime was lying on the ground and grabbed a police dog by the ears.
The police responded to the violence the day after the protest. The Hague police chief Paul van Musscher said then that a lot of violence was used by the protesters. Officers are also said to have suffered eye and hearing damage because protesters set off heavily prohibited fireworks and shone them with laser pointers. “A lot of violence has been used against the police. And that’s where we draw the line,” said Van Musscher.
Several protesters reported the violence to the police. The Public Prosecution Service has investigated all these reports and assessed them on a case-by-case basis.
‘Agents are well known’
President Struijs of the Dutch police union says he stands behind the two officers who, according to him, were confronted with “a lot of aggressive violence”. “We sincerely hope that the whole context is taken into account,” he says.
“The police are increasingly faced with threats and violence, it is not an easy task.” He states that agents regularly have to act at dozens of demonstrations “and at one time they have to be tougher than the other. Weighing it down is part of democracy.” He says the two officers are known as good and hopes that everything will be considered by the judge.
The initiator of the demonstration says he is happy that “it is finally recognized that disproportionate force has been used”. Michel Reijinga says he is left with mixed feelings because in his opinion more than two officers should be prosecuted for the violence of that day. “But this is a start.”
Third agent suspect
No date has yet been set when the officers will have to appear in court. The Public Prosecution Service will decide later whether it will prosecute the demonstrator in question.
The Public Prosecution Service is also interrogating a third officer as a suspect. That concerns a dog handler who used his service dog against a protester who is suspected of throwing a can of beer at the riot police. The Public Prosecution Service will decide later whether this agent will also be prosecuted.
–
