Last year police failed to adequately protect demonstrators from the “Ditch Zwarte Piet” campaign group and Amnesty International observers from rioters. Demonstrators who went to Staphorst to protest during the arrival of Sinterklaas on November 19 were attacked by people who wanted to prevent the demonstration. The demonstration was banned at the last minute because the police were not sufficiently prepared.
The Justice and Security Inspectorate said after the investigation that police should have intervened and better protected demonstrators and observers. Even during preparation, police misjudged the seriousness of the risks.
Protesters were threatened
Kick Out Zwarte Piet (KOZP) wanted to demonstrate because Black Petes also took part in the arrival at Staphorst. At the A28 exit, two minibuses carrying demonstrators were attacked and stopped by dozens of people. Some had their faces painted black and were wearing Black Pete suits.
“Eggs were thrown, fuel was poured on peaceful protesters and their vehicles, and flares and fireworks were showered,” KOZP later said in a press release. “It is clear that this leads to extremely dangerous situations that could be much worse,” he said.
Amnesty International observers who wanted to watch the demonstration were also attacked. The mayor later banned the demonstration. The prosecution decided in June to prosecute four rioters for communal violence on the A28.
inadequate preparation
The audit concludes that something went wrong during the preparation. Police were aware of the risks of the demonstration, such as rioters blocking roads, but did not develop appropriate countermeasures. The seriousness of the risks was underestimated.
The community also realized this after their own research. This showed that the community was “suffering from blind spots” as they prepared for the arrival of KOZP and the demonstration announcement. “We were sure it would go well, but that was so naive. We underestimated this,” the mayor said.
Decisive
The audit mentions two main factors that contributed to this situation: the decision not to act against countermeasures, the decision to bypass them, and the assumption that the day will go as planned.
According to the supervisory authority, when everything went differently, the police could not intervene effectively. Things went wrong as the demonstrators were being transported to Staphorst. Their intention was that they did not receive road maps from the police.
Moreover, there was no police escort in sight, instead inconspicuous police cars that demonstrators would not recognize as the police passed by. This resulted in some vehicles leaving the convoy and very few police being present at the exit as they were attacked and their vehicles destroyed. Due to the road being blocked, riot police could not reach the scene in a short time.
The situation is threatening, the police are leaving
Police then decided to stop the still-moving group of demonstrators at a petrol station on the A28 near Meppel. They were quickly found there by the rebels. Therefore, the police officers asked the demonstrators to move away and quickly left, as they found the situation too threatening.
The rioters then blocked the KOZP bus in the parking lot. When the police stayed away and did not intervene, the bus managed to escape. The regulator says this should happen. The police were supposed to protect the demonstrators.
Staphorst is not alone
With this report, the regulator wants to emphasize the importance of good police preparation. It is therefore advisable to pay greater attention to the protection of demonstrators in situations where the risk of conflict is high and to make clear agreements in advance on the organization of a demonstration. There must be better developed plans for how authorities should respond.
According to the organizer, the number of demonstrations is increasing and increasingly provoking reactions from the opposition. Therefore, over the next two years we will examine how the police should respond to demonstrations and what is needed to ensure that the police are properly equipped.
learn lesson
In response, the police said they supported the conclusions of the Security and Justice Inspectorate and wanted to draw lessons from them at a national level. Following the events that took place in November last year, meetings were held with Kick Out Zwarte Piet and Amnesty International and an apology was made.
Discussions will continue in line with this report. Last year, police also started training for demonstrations.
Fixed contact points
Outgoing Minister of Justice Yeşilgöz also believes that the police should do more to prevent the rioters from achieving their goals. In his letter to the House of Representatives, he also acknowledges that police should have been better aware of risks in advance. But he adds: “The police cannot and should not be expected to explain every possible situation before the demonstration.”
Regarding the suggestion that the police should communicate better with the demonstrators, Yeşilgöz writes that this is an interaction between the local triangle and the organizers of the demonstration. “That’s what happened in this case too. Fixed touchpoints can be helpful.” The Minister also believes that the police cannot always share all the information with demonstrators at every demonstration.
Source: NOS
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
