Two officers have been acquitted of assault charges related to a protest against coronavirus measures over three years ago. The court ruled that their use of force in arresting a demonstrator was lawful.
The protest took place on March 14, 2021, at the Malieveld in The Hague, where demonstrators gathered to express dissatisfaction with COVID-19 regulations. A limit was imposed on the number of participants allowed, and when exceeded, the mayor issued an emergency order to disperse the protest.
Violence ensued as demonstrators threw stones and fireworks at police. Law enforcement, including riot officers and dog handlers, intervened when demonstrators refused to leave.
A protester threw a jumper cable at an officer and charged toward him. A dog handler responded, leading to the protester being subdued by a police dog.
The protester resisted by grabbing the dog’s mouth and ears, prompting the dog handler and a riot officer to strike him with batons. As the man continued to resist, the dog was commanded to bite his leg.
The court recognized the arrest was intense for the protester but noted he could have left the scene. Instead, he confronted and used force against the police.
The prosecutor had sought a community service sentence for the dog handler and deemed the riot officer’s actions as a reaction to a colleague’s initiated situation, proposing no penalty.
Source: NOS