Individuals protesting a demonstration against Islamic terrorist organization IS in The Hague’s Schilderswijk were arrested while the Mobile Unit was forced to take action as some were throwing rocks around in the street, the NRC reports.
Six people were arrested as a group of pro-IS protesters became aggressive, throwing rocks and reportedly attacking journalists from Zoomin.TV and the Telegraaf. One police officer was also wounded.
According to NU.nl, a cameraman from Zoomin.TV was cornered and threatened by a group of about 15 who took the man’s camera and destroyed it. The journalist escaped unharmed. Zoomin.TV tells NU.nl that they plan to file a report against the assaulters.
The demonstration, or the ‘March of Freedom’ took part in The Hague, including the Schilderswijk neighborhood, which has been categorized as aproblem area, and which was the scene of an anti-Jewish demonstration last month.
According to the NRC, around 200 demonstrators were present at the demonstration, which started at around 3.30 p.m. The demonstrators want the police as well as the municipality to “make short work of the hundred fundamentalist Islamists who make the Schilderswijk unsafe.”
Two protesters against this march were reportedly arrested on the Hoefkade in the neighborhood. At the conclusion of the demonstration, officers arrested another four individuals on suspicion of open violence, insulting and shouting incendiary slogans.
The NRC writes that the Mobile Unit was forced to change the route of the march to prevent a confrontation between pro- and anti-IS demonstrators.
On Facebook, around 300 people had signed themselves up for the demonstration, where only Dutch flags were allowed.