Friday, 8 May 2015 - 08:28
Cops cuff Amsterdam rapper mistaken for drug dealer
Amsterdam rapper Appa was arrested on a parking lot at the Hazeldonk border crossing on Wednesday afternoon. The rapper, real name Rachid El Ghazoui, tweeted about the experience, calling the arrest "racism".
According to Appa, he was arrested around 2:00 p.m. because he fit the profile of "drug runner". "When I asked the police what that profile was, the answer was: Moroccan", the rapper tweeted. He says that he was injured during the arrest and threatened by the officers. He took pictures of the the arrest and will be handing them over to his lawyer. "You wake up and you realize again that racism is institutional, being ethnically profiled", Appa tweeted.
A spokesperson for the police confirmed to Omroep Brabant that a 32 year old Amsterdam man was arrested, but according to the police, it was because he refused to show his driver's licence and vehicle registration. "He was arrested on suspicion of not complying with an order." He resisted arrest and was taken to the police station in Breda. He was questioned and then released at around 9:15 p.m.
https://twitter.com/thisisAppa/status/596034438426980353
https://twitter.com/thisisAppa/status/596034684305432577
https://twitter.com/thisisAppa/status/596035566006837249
https://twitter.com/thisisAppa/status/596237571061108736