Two arrested for racist laser projections on Erasmus bridge in Rotterdam
Last update 13:03
Police in the Netherlands made two arrests in connection with the use of a laser projector to display hate speech and statements promoting discriminatory behavior on the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam during the nationally televised New Year’s Eve countdown there. One of the suspects was also being investigated for his role in projecting racist slogans on the city hall building in Eindhoven earlier this week, while the other may have been connected to another incident in Alkmaar.
Rotterdam police arrested a 34-year-old man from Landgraaf on Friday morning in connection with both the Rotterdam and Eindhoven incidents. A 24-year-old man from Zwijndrecht was suspected of being involved in the Rotterdam incident, as well as a similar case at the Alkmaar City Hall last month.
More arrests are possible, police said.
The homes of the two suspects were searched. Officers seized several devices containing data, a crossbow, and 3D-printed weapon parts, police said.
Police and the Public Prosecution Service began their investigation after racist, anti-Semitic and white supremacist messages appeared on the Erasmus Bridge. A forensics team analyzed trace material found at the scene while witnesses were interviewed. “In addition, detectives conducted online research, and police specialists delved into the origin of the projection equipment used. The investigation led to the two suspects,” police said.
“Their precise role in these incidents is currently under further investigation.”
The police statement did not mention similar incidents also in Amsterdam and Venlo. Anti-semitic conspiracy theories were projected onto the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam earlier this month. Mayor Femke Halsema called it “pure anti-Semitism” and “an attack” on Anne Frank’s legacy. “I am shocked and furious about this cowardly act,” she said.
A week later, racist texts appeared on the Hemweg power station in Amsterdam's Westelijke Havengebied. "Love And Make White Babies," that projection read.
These utterances of hate speech made the news after the New Year’s incident in Rotterdam, but the first known incident was in Venlo on December 28. The “White Lives Matter” slogan was projected on the building of the benefits agency UWV.
A Neo-Nazi Telegram group claimed responsibility for the Rotterdam incident. NOS infiltrated the group and found that the extremists there were aiming to normalize racism and awaken a “racial awareness” by proclaiming the “superiority” of the “white race.” Their manifesto states that they strive for a country where at least 99 percent of its inhabitants are white. Other people can only temporarily enter if their presence is “for the benefit of the Whites,” like tourists.
