The Hague: Police have detained 281 participants in an unauthorized pro-Palestinian demonstration in central Amsterdam, the Netherlands Police said on Thursday.
The unauthorized pro-Palestinian demonstration, attended by hundreds of people, took place in Dam Square on Wednesday evening. Police began detaining demonstrators who refused to leave the square and moving them away by bus.
“Police detained 281 people on Wednesday evening, November 13, following a demonstration in Dam Square,” the police said in a statement.
According to the statement, 265 of them were detained for violating the mayor’s ban on protests, and eight people for carrying items that could lead to a violation of public order or bodily harm.
Last week, a series of attacks against Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans took place in Amsterdam following the Europa League match against local team Ajax. Media reported that at least 10 Israelis were injured. Amsterdam police said five people had been hospitalized and 62 others detained.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof described the anti-Semitic nature of the attacks as unacceptable. The leader of the right-wing Party for Freedom, Geert Wilders, called for the arrest and deportation of those responsible.
Following the incident, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema announced a ban on demonstrations over the weekend and the introduction of additional security measures in the city. Despite the ban, pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to Dam Square last Sunday. Police detained more than 50 participants in the unauthorized rally. City authorities then extended the ban on demonstrations until November 14.
UNI
