The police units in Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam generally did the right thing during the protests of Black Lives Matter (BLM) in early June, the Justice and Security Inspectorate concluded in a report published on Thursday. report. However, it is recommended to take special circumstances into account in future protests, such as the influence of influencers on turnout, says Inspector General Henk Korvinus in conversation with NU.nl.
The three demonstrations, which took place on June 1, 2 and 3, each had a completely different course. This prompted the inspectorate to investigate the behavior of the police before and during the demonstrations. After interviews with the various police units, the inspectorate concludes that, with the information that was available, they “acted as may be expected of it”.
But there are also points for attention. For example, during the Black Lives Matter protest in Amsterdam, about fourteen thousand people came to Dam Square, while – given the one-and-a-half meter rule – there was room for about half.
“When estimating turnout in Amsterdam, the influence of private social media groups and influencers has been underestimated,” Korvinus explains. “The weather was also nice and the lockdown had just been relaxed. From now on, these kinds of special circumstances have to be taken more into account.”
Last month concluded independent researchers that the mayor, police and Public Prosecution Service (the so-called triangle) did not communicate properly in the run-up to the protest on Dam Square. That seems to be at odds with this more positive report, but the two are not comparable. The inspection by the inspectorate focuses only on the provision of information and decision-making by the police, not on how the three parties consulted with each other.
Protest The Hague went without problems due to location
In The Hague, the Black Lives Matter protest went off without major problems. Lessons can be learned from this too, says Korvinus. According to him, the quiet progress is largely due to the fact that the Malieveld is clearer and it is easier to monitor how many protesters are on their way to the protest. “That is much more complicated at Dam Square, where there are also many catering establishments.”
Also at the location in Rotterdam, near the Erasmus Bridge, it turned out to be impossible to maintain the required distance. “The location can also be taken into account more emphatically.”
Finally, according to the report, the demonstrations show the importance of so-called police network teams, which maintain good contact with the organizations and demonstrators before and during the demonstrations.
“The police network team has good and personal contact with those involved, which means better monitoring and enforcement,” says Korvinus. “That is why we recommend that the Chief of Police pay extra attention to this team.”
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