Dutch demonstrations against Danish cartoons did escalate
The police say two demonstrations against the Danish cartoons featuring the Prophet Mohammed have went off peacefully, but this appears to be a very optimistic interpretation. Both got out of hand.
At a demonstration on Amsterdam’s Dam Square on Saturday, police arrested four youths, aged 14 to 20. “They were deliberately out for a confrontation. Actually they messed up the demonstration which went off without significant incidents,” according to a police spokesman.
But in fact, about 70 youngsters (aged between 12 and 21) stormed into the densely populated neighbouring shopping streets from Dam. Shop windows were broken, one shop was robbed and journalists received blows because the youngsters did not want to be filmed. They also burned flags and shouted slogans like “Hamas, Jihad, Hezbollah,” as they ran from on side of Dam to the other.
On Friday afternoon, a group of about 150 children caused a commotion in Maastricht. They put up road-blocks while the police looked on. Two youths actually jumped into an empty police car and began to chant slogans over the megaphone.
The police insist both demonstrations went off quietly. No licence had been applied for in either case, normally a reason for immediately breaking up a demonstration. No demonstrations against the cartoons had previously taken place in the Netherlands.
Source: NIS News Bulletin
and i went...
