Police horse has heart attack during Pegida demonstration in Nijmegen

By Janene Pieters on November 27, 2017 - 07:57
Protest against Pegida in Nijmegen, 26 Nov 2017
Protest against Pegida in Nijmegen, 26 Nov 2017. Photo: @MAuroraTR / Twitter

A police horse died during a demonstration by anti-Islam group Pegida in Nijmegen on Sunday. The horse died of heart failure and its death was not caused by its deployment to the demonstration, the Nijmegen police said on Twitter.

The horse collapsed around 2:00 p.m. near the Tunnelweg in Nijmegen. The rider was hurt in the fall. According to the police, the officer is doing "well under the circumstances". 

The atmosphere in Nijmegen was grim during the Pegida demonstration, which attracted around a hundred counter-demonstrators including from anti-fascism group AFA. The large number of police officers present had to form cordons with police horses and riot vans to keep the groups apart. 

Around 20 Pegida members were allowed to march around the edge of Nijmegen's city center. The police performed a charge to keep the demonstrators and counter-demonstrators apart.

Pegida supporters gathered around an asylum center, shouting slogans. The police drove these demonstrators apart. The police horse collapsed nearby.

Two people were arrested - a counter-demonstrator for throwing a smoke bomb, and a man who could not identify himself. 

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