King’s Day passed yesterday without any significant incidents. In addition to the festivities, the police had to take action for two demonstrations and a squatting action.
Every year, around 200,000 people visit Amsterdam for King’s Day. A spokesperson for the municipality cannot say exactly how many visitors there were yesterday, but indicates that the crowds are comparable to those of previous King’s Days.
Both the municipality and the police confirm that King’s Day passed without any significant incidents in the places where most partygoers attended. “Although of course things always happen in places where there are a lot of people,” says a police spokesperson. He says that a total of 11 arrests have been made.
Stolen phones
The police and the municipality already warned about the presence of pickpockets prior to King’s Day. At least sixteen of those victims later turned out to be lucky. The police team from the Jordaan reports that an ‘observant citizen’ managed to take two bags with a total of 16 telephones. The police have not been able to arrest a suspect for the theft.
Both the police and the municipality confirm that the city was also busy on King’s Day. Especially in the Jordan. Towards the end of the afternoon, the municipality called on people to stop coming to Westerstraat. It was so busy in Anjeliersstraat that a fire truck had difficulty getting through the crowd to make an emergency call.
While there was plenty of partying in the center, the police also had to take action in places where demonstrations were taking place. At the beginning of the afternoon, two demonstrations were going on simultaneously, both on the roadway.
Just before 11 a.m., a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators sat on a zebra crossing on the Piet Heinkade, blocking traffic there for hours. The triangle decided not to disband the demonstration, the demonstrators left of their own accord after a few hours.
40 arrests at A10 demonstration
On the A10 in South, Extinction Rebellion demonstrators managed to block the highway for the third time around 12 noon. This demonstration was disbanded around 1:15 p.m. It took the police about half an hour to round up everyone and put them on GVB buses. The road was then opened.
A police spokesperson said that 40 demonstrators have been arrested, including for causing danger on the road and insulting officers. None of these demonstrators are currently in custody. The Public Prosecution Service has yet to decide whether to prosecute them.
Mobile unit
Towards the end of the evening, when most King’s Day celebrants had already gone home, the mobile unit had to take action twice more. This happened, among other things, near Gravenstraat, when it became clear that a building had been squatted there.
According to the police spokesperson, the police discovered the squatting operation, but the officers did not go inside. The case is now with the Public Prosecution Service, which can possibly determine whether the building should be evacuated.
In South East the mobile unit also had to intervene, because two groups of young people confronted each other there. A spokesperson said that the officers ultimately did not have to carry out any charges.
Tags: major incidents Kings Day demonstrations
