The media has recently been reporting on incidents of (extreme) police violence against pro-Palestina protesters. This violence was committed in the Westelijk Havengebied in Amsterdam. Participants of the pro-Palestina demonstration which was held on Dam square on 13 November had been transported here by the police in busses at the orders of the mayor of Amsterdam. These transports are also referred to as 'administrative displacement' (in Dutch: bestuurlijke verplaatsing) and are qualified as illegal by the District Court of Amsterdam. Forcing people into busses and holding them against their will, constitutes a deprivation of liberty which requires a legal basis that is lacking in these cases.As such, these actions violate of article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Even so, this type of action is still taken in order to end unwanted demonstrations.
In this case, criminal defense lawyer Krit Zeegers is representing protestors who were victims of this extreme police violence and want to file a criminal complaint. Disproportionate police violence does not fall under the Professional Instruction for police officers, and may constitute not only a violation of the ECHR but also a criminal offense. For more information about his, you can contact Krit Zeegers or our law firm.
For further media reports, please see (in Dutch):