Riot police clear Amsterdam street after crowd attacks officers, damages city vehicle
Riot police intervened Saturday night on the Albert Cuypstraat after a crowd attacked officers, damaged a municipal vehicle, and refused to leave the area despite multiple warnings, as reported by AT5. Several incidents in Amsterdam’s center left multiple people injured, according to authorities.
The riot police was deployed around 10:00 p.m. after officers were pelted with objects when trying to disperse a large group playing loud music beyond the permitted hours. Police confirmed to local broadcaster AT5 that several people were arrested and that a police horse was injured during the operation.
Footage shared with AT5 showed dozens of people surrounding a municipal vehicle. The crowd tore off the license plate, danced on the car, ripped open the trunk, removed items, and discharged a fire extinguisher found inside. Additional footage showed individuals standing on other cars nearby.
Police spokespersons stated that officers had repeatedly ordered the crowd to stop playing music after the 8:00 p.m. curfew and to disperse. When officers were attacked with thrown objects and those orders were ignored, the decision was made to deploy riot police.
Using mounted officers and lines of riot police personnel, police cleared the street. Video evidence showed officers sometimes striking individuals during the dispersal. In one clip, a police horse slipped; authorities later confirmed that a horse was injured, likely the one seen falling in the footage.
One resident of Albert Cuypstraat told AT5, "The overall atmosphere turned around 9:30 p.m. It became frighteningly crowded, and aggression erupted among the crowd, with people fighting here and there. Then groups of people started climbing on several cars. At 10:15 p.m., the riot police arrived."
The damaged municipal vehicle belonged to the city's Department of Urban Works, which is responsible for cleaning the city, maintaining green spaces, and conducting road and tunnel maintenance. Photos taken at the scene showed extensive damage: the license plate, mirrors, and a door handle were missing, and the windshield was dented by someone dancing on it. A shoe, believed to belong to the driver, was found at the scene. Witnesses said the driver had been inside the car and was forced to flee. The vehicle was eventually towed away.
Around 11:30 p.m., a heavy police presence remained, with numerous riot police buses parked in the area. However, by about midnight, officers determined that further intervention was no longer necessary, and riot police left the scene. Regular police units stayed on site.
The unrest on the Albert Cuypstraat was part of a series of incidents across Amsterdam Saturday evening. Earlier, around 9:00 p.m., police responded to a stabbing on Bloemgracht in the city center. According to a police spokesperson, the victim was "presumably a bystander who tried to intervene in a quarrel and was seriously injured." The victim was conscious after the incident but required hospitalization. No suspect had been arrested as of Sunday, and police continued to investigate.
Around 10:00 p.m., a man was injured after falling from the bus platform at Centraal Station. AT5 reported that multiple ambulances and a trauma helicopter were dispatched. First aid was administered on the street before the man was transported to a hospital by ambulance.
