Masked men occupy roof of new Islamic school in Amsterdam

By Janene Pieters on September 4, 2017 - 10:50
Police officers on the street
Police officers on the street. (Photo: Politie)

Two men wearing balaclava masks climbed onto the roof of a new Islamic high school in Amsterdam Nieuw-West and hung an anti-Islam banner from the facade on Monday morning. The police are at the scene and trying to talk the men into getting off the school's roof, AT5 and Het Parool report.

Translated to English, the banner reads: "Who sows Islam, will harvest Sharia". According to AT5, another banner was thrown to the ground when some school employees got onto the roof and got into an argument with the two men. This one read: "Salafism is not welcome." The men could also be heard shouting "salafism, terrorism".

According to the banner still on the building, the men are from a group that calls itself Het Indetitair Verzet. 

Lessons at the school, the Cornelius Haga Lyceum according to NOS, only start next week. But there were already students present for an introductory day on Monday. One mother told Het Parool that the protest did not cause panic. "It's not nice that it's happening, but the atmosphere wasn't completely ruined. We're also kind of used to it. There is a lot of criticism on Islamic schools. We just have to prove that we have good intentions", she said to the newspaper.

GroenLinks faction chairman Rutger Groot Wassink condemned the action on Twitter. "Get those dangerous madmen away from there quickly", he tweeted. And: "Demonstrate, do, occupy. My best to you. But leave children out of it. School must be a safe, nice place. Identitair idiots."

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