Man Who Stood on Burned-Out Police Car Appeared in Court

With his arms triumphantly in the air, he stood on the hood of a burned-out police car; today he sat in the defendants dock. A 44-year-old man from Schiedam had to answer to the court for his behavior during the riots on and around Malieveld on September 20. According to the Public Prosecution Service, he played an inciting role.

The man first stood out in the investigation of the riot footage at the burned-out police car along Koekamplaan. There he climbed onto the hood and triumphantly raised his arms. After stepping down from the car, he stood by as others overturned the smoking vehicle. He then walked with a group into the city center.

At the D66 party office on Lange Houtstraat, the suspect was one of the first to make a kicking motion toward the front door. Others then began throwing stones and objects. At the Plein, he grabbed the construction fence of the Binnenhof and started pulling it. He beckoned others, and in no time dozens of men stood at the fence, pushed it over, and then entered the construction site.

On Grote Marktstraat, the suspect threw something, presumably a can of beer, at a passerby on a bicycle.

Inciting

Many suspects have already been convicted in recent weeks for committing public violence during the September 20 riots. This means they committed violence as a group. But the public prosecutors repeatedly emphasized that the suspects own actions incited others to riot as well. This perpetuated the violence.

This was especially true for the suspect who appeared in court today, who beckoned others to join in. The public prosecutor demanded a nine-month prison sentence, of which three months were conditional. The judge sentenced him to 180 hours of community service and six months of conditional imprisonment. Additionally, the suspect must pay damages to D66 and the Rijksvastgoedbedrijf for damage caused to the party office and the Binnenhof.

Large-scale riots

On Saturday, September 20, a group of over a thousand people chose to fight with the police around a demonstration. Stones were thrown, fires were set, and damage was caused. Most of the violence was directly against the police, but after hours of unrest, a group of rioters moved into the city center, causing damage there as well.

The Hague had not seen such severe riots in years. The police had to deploy four platoons of riot police, two water cannons, mounted police, and tear gas grenades. Only through the use of tear gas could the use of firearms by officers be prevented. The safety of peaceful protesters could no longer be guaranteed, forcing the demonstration to be called off.

Investigation continues

Eighteen suspects have now been convicted for their involvement in the riots. Occasionally, community service was imposed, but mostly prison sentences of weeks or months (often combined with community service). Most suspects must also, as demanded by the Public Prosecution Service, transfer an amount to the Victim Compensation Fund for Violent Crimes to compensate for the damage caused.

The investigation is still ongoing. The police are busy mapping the violence committed and identifying perpetrators. This includes the use of the crime-solving programs Opsporing Verzocht and Team West - some suspects shown in recent months have not yet been identified. The Public Prosecution Service expects that more suspects will be identified (if necessary with the help of these programs), arrested, and prosecuted in the future.