Today, six individuals were detained on a city bus in Nijmegen following a pro-Palestine demonstration at Radboud University. Social media videos show the arrests, with one person stating, “They took everyone off the bus and detained us.
We did nothing wrong, except wear keffiyehs,” a traditional Palestinian scarf. The police reported the arrests were linked to alleged vandalism at Radboud University.
A police spokesperson stated that a vandalism report was received shortly before noon, leading to the arrests on suspicion of public violence against property. The connection between wearing the scarves and the arrests remains unclear, with the police refraining from commenting further.
Radboud University noted that security found a group in theater hall C wearing face coverings at 11:15 a.m., suspecting a forced entry. Slogans like “Free Free Palestine” were reportedly chanted before the group left via an emergency exit.
The university has filed a vandalism report, though specifics are unknown. Nijmegen Encampment, an activist group, had announced a pro-Palestine demonstration for today, urging the university to sever ties with Israeli universities.
The protest was canceled due to police presence, with the group’s spokesperson, Şermin, emphasizing they were not linked to the theater hall incident. The six detainees are associated with Nijmegen Encampment but were not present in the hall.
They remain in custody, with Şermin expressing concern and a sense of insecurity following the events.
Source: NOS