"Fuck racism, Fuck the King" rally brings out dozens

By Janene Pieters on May 11, 2015 - 07:59
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"Fuck the King" protest in Amsterdam (Picture: Twitter/@theNUC1). ("Fuck the King" protest in Amsterdam (Picture: Twitter/@theNUC1))

A few dozen people gathered on the Museumplein in Amsterdam on Sunday afternoon for a "Fuck Racism - Fuck the King" demonstration. 

The protest was in reaction to the possible prosecution of activist Abulkasim Al-Jaberi, who said "fuck the king, fuck the queen, fuck the royal house" during an anti-Zwarte Piet demonstration in November last year.

According to the organizers of the protest, the demonstration was about "the freedom of expression for people who oppose racism, especially when the activists are of color", AT5 reports.

 

This prosecution has lead to a number of protests and complaints. The hashtag #fuckdekoning was trending on Twitter for a time due to people tweeting their support for Al-Jaberi. The words were also spray painted on the facade of the Royal Palace in Amsterdam last week. Even Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan stated that he does not believe the Al-Jaberi's statement is prosecution-worthy.

The Public Prosecutor has since announced that the prosecution has been put on hold. According to the state attorneys, they need more time to investigate and prepare following the defense filed by Al-Jaberi's lawyer and the barrage of pleas on his behalf.

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