GroenLinkse Young people angry over targeted violence at demonstrations

DWARS, the youth organisation of GroenLinks reacts with shock to the violent arrests made in Rotterdam this afternoon. In the process, anti-black piet protesters planning to hold a peaceful protest were stopped. The activists were evicted from their bus, surrounded, and forcibly taken away.

NIS footage shows a seated protester being beaten in his crotch by a police officer with a truncheon. In addition, anti-Black Pete activist Jerry Afriyie was violently pushed to the ground by police. On Facebook, he says he was taken to a police cell "with chest pains, swollen eye, pain to his head from baton and fist blows and injuries to body and hands".

Afriyie was in the news a few weeks ago because a judge indicated that he had been unlawfully arrested several times. The youth of GroenLinks are dismayed that he has now been arrested again: "These are no longer incidents. It is clear that a whole group of Dutch people are being violently stripped of their freedom of speech. Nobody should be treated so inhumanely!" says chairperson Noortje Blokhuis.

Around 200 protesters were detained at the arrest. These protesters included GroenLinks Amsterdam councillor Simion Blom.