News report | 18-12-2025 | 10:04

On Sunday, September 21, disturbances occurred in Zwolle after the football match PEC Zwolle – Go Ahead Eagles. A group of people turned against the police by throwing stones and other objects. During police action, a man was hit by a police van. The Public Prosecution Service East Netherlands decided not to prosecute the driver of the police vehicle for this.

The disturbances started after the match, around three in the afternoon, outside the stadium. A group of people, wearing dark and face-covering clothing, attacked the police with objects.

The group ran away at some point, but some individuals continued throwing what were likely stones at the dog handlers and members of the arrest unit. The driver of the police vehicle wanted to prevent one of them from fleeing, so that this suspect could be arrested by his colleagues for public violence. The driver therefore accelerated the police van from a standstill and made a left turn. At the same moment, the suspect made a turning movement with his body and was hit by the police vehicle. He then fell and was dragged several meters by the vehicle. Within two seconds after accelerating, the police vehicle stopped and the man was arrested.

Because the man was slightly injured during this police action, the National Police Internal Investigations Department, led by the Public Prosecution Service East Netherlands, conducted an investigation.

Camera footage shows that shortly before the police van started moving, the man threw a stone at the police. The attempt by the police van driver to isolate the man so he could be arrested is therefore fully justified, concludes the Public Prosecution Service. The mans injuries remained limited because the van was driving at low speed and was brought to a stop with an emergency brake. The man himself, after being confronted with the footage by the National Police Internal Investigations Department, decided not to file a complaint against the police officer.

The Public Prosecution Service assesses this police action as understandable and proportional and therefore in accordance with the police instructions.

The investigation into the serious riots and the individuals involved is not yet completed. The Public Prosecution Service will decide at a later stage whether the man will be prosecuted for his role in the public violence.