Man arrested at Rotterdam silent march honoring femicide victims

A man was arrested Sunday afternoon after storming the stage during a silent march in Rotterdam honoring women killed by their partners. The event drew more than 1,000 people to Schouwburgplein, where relatives of femicide victims gave emotional speeches and called for stronger protections against domestic violence.

The march, organized by feminist action group Dolle Mina’s, was held in memory of recent femicide victims including a woman murdered in Schiedam, 39-year-old Joeweela de Gelder who was shot in Gouda, and a 38-year-old woman fatally injured in her home in Vlijmen last week.

The ceremony was briefly disrupted when a man ran onstage and grabbed the microphone from Wim Hertgers, whose daughter Sanne was murdered by her estranged husband. The man shouted "incoherently" about “polarization” before being tackled by police and removed from the square. He was arrested at the scene.

The crowd responded with calm and resumed the gathering after the disturbance. Organizers and participants emphasized the urgency of tackling femicide in the Netherlands, where a woman is killed by a partner or ex-partner every eight days, according to recent statistics.

De Gelder’s family also took part in Sunday’s march, just one day after holding their own silent tribute in Gouda. On Saturday, about 100 people gathered in the Korte Akkeren neighborhood where De Gelder was murdered July 15 in front of her two young children. Attendees carried white balloons and photos of the 39-year-old, who had been staying at a women’s shelter to escape her ex-partner, 53-year-old Driekus K.

De Gelder was buried Friday in Helmond beside her mother, who was also killed by a partner 30 years ago. “She was a mother, a niece, an aunt. Not a possession,” mourners said at her funeral.

In Vlijmen, another woman was killed days later in what police say was a separate femicide. The 38-year-old was attacked in her home on Parklaan Thursday night. Neighbors heard screams around 10:30 p.m. and called emergency services. Officers found the woman gravely injured and summoned a trauma helicopter and several ambulances. She later died in the hospital. Her 3-year-old child was in the home during the killing and was taken in by a neighbor. Police arrested the woman’s 35-year-old boyfriend at the scene.

Organizers of Sunday’s march said the back-to-back killings underscore a broader crisis of violence against women. According to Statistics Netherlands, 45 percent of women aged 15 to 25 avoid certain walking or driving routes to feel safer. In larger cities like Rotterdam, 44 percent of women report changing their route within their own neighborhoods due to fear. 20 percent of men said they sometimes avoid certain routes for safety.