Dutch photographer, Dick van Duijin, has been a victim of a vicious assault by the police, which happened during the Anti-lockdown protest in Maliveld, the Netherlands on March 15. Dick published a post on his Facebook account, explaining the detail of the police attack.
The photographer wrote that he went to a demonstration for the first time together with his brothers and sisters-in-law. The atmosphere was very friendly and people were walking with flowers and hearts. There were people of all ages, from children to the elderly.
“No one wanted anything evil, we were also not interested in riots at all. But when we wanted to leave the Malieveld in the afternoon halfway through the demonstration, we were not allowed to do so,” he said.
Innocent people were bitten by police dogs and while they were lying on the ground they were hit in the head by multiple police officers. Among these people were also elderly people who had absolutely no idea what was happening.
“I saw in the chaos how my youngest brother was grabbed by a police dog and the police officer was hitting his head at the same time. Then the police let the dog loose on me because I wanted to save my little brother, also the police started hitting me in the head and neck with their stick while I was lying in the grass. The officer who first came to me when I was on the ground even fired a warning shot to keep concerned bystanders at bay. Then I was handcuffed like a serious criminal,” explained Dick.
Later Dick was taken to the police department when he was in need of urgent medical help. Eventually, he was taken to the hospital under police guidance. Dick spent over 30 hours in a small police cell and only at the end found out that his brother was also in a cell.
“What has been done to my brother, my family, and me, is unjustifiable, whether you agree with the purpose of these demonstrations or not. Protesting is a fundamental right for everyone. In my opinion, during all peaceful demonstrations against the government, the police are deliberately looking for an escalation, when there is no threat at all. During the BLM demonstrations, police participated in the demonstrations sitting beside the protesters,” noted Dick in the end.
Forsided, 17.03.2021
Read more: Netherlands: Rough Police Violence Against Anti-Lockdown Protesters [Video]