Mostly quiet Pegida anti-Islam protest starts late, ends early

A demonstration by anti-Islam movement Pegida in Apeldoorn on Sunday was relatively quiet, according to the police. A total of four people were arrested - two women and one man for refusing to identify themselves and a 50 year old man from Deventer on suspicion of assaulting a photographer. The demonstration started around 1:30 p.m., half an hour late, and ended around 2:30 p.m. According to the police, between 150 and 200 people participated. The Anti-Fascist Action from Friesland also took to the streets of Apeldoorn for a counter-demonstration on Sunday. This demonstration was also quiet, with no major incidents or disturbances. An emergency decree was in force in the city from around 1:00 p.m. until both demonstrations ended, due to incidents surrounding previous Pegida demonstrations in other parts of the Netherlands. The decree gave the police more capabilities to send people away. After the Pegida demonstration, some members of the PvdA, GroenLinks and the PvdD swept the streets clean. They wanted to "scrub the street clean after the extreme right-wing sound", Harry Voss of the PvdD said to NU.