Skip to main content
Netherlands News in English

Main navigation

  • Top stories
  • Health
  • Crime
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Tech
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Weird
  • 1-1-2
Image
12376153_1261071190586713_3563454006451007271_n
Saskia van Kessel and Sjors Nikkels (Photo: Facebook/Saskia van Kessel) - Credit: Saskia van Kessel and Sjors Nikkels (Photo: Facebook/Saskia van Kessel)
Crime
anti-asylum center riots
Brain injury
Esther Vroegh
Geldermalsen
judiciary
police
police brutality
public prosecutor
Saskia van Kessel
Woudy van Kessel
Tuesday, 26 January 2016 - 13:55

Share this article:

Video allegedly shows cops badly hurting woman at anti-asylum riot

Family members of Saskia van Kessel released a video which they believe show police officers throwing the 39-year-old woman to ground and her hitting her head against the pavement during the anti-asylum center riots in Geldermalsen in December. Several witnesses stated that two police officers - a blonde woman and a man - then beat her on the head with batons, the Telegraaf reports. This happened in front of her home, three hours after the the riots in the city ended, according to the newspaper. Van Kessel and her boyfriend just arrived home when a group of officers charged visitors of a cafe around the corner. When they took a step to the side, they were overrun by officers, during which Van Kessel was so badly hurt that she sustained a brain injury. Only three weeks later was she able to press charges against the officers. The judiciary immediately launched an investigation, but so far nothing has come of it. "We are furious and lost faith in the investigation", Saskia's sister Woudy van Kessel said to the newspaper. "At the request of the judiciary we provided footage and witnesses. For weeks we kept to the media silence the Pubic Prosecutor wanted. But now that it seems that they are not taking the case seriously at all, we've had enough. The Public Prosecutor won't even say whether the officers were suspended." Saskia's lawyer Esther Vroegh asked the prosecutor for clarification. "I can understand my clients' frustration very well. The Public Prosecutor seems to take little action, does not keep us informed on the progress of the investigation and can not indicate whether the officers are being prosecuted." The Public Prosecutor told the newspaper that they are still busy with the investigation and can say nothing about the results. The prosecutor invited Van Kessel and her lawyer for a conversation.

More like this

Image
slachtoffer-rob-zweekhorst
Rotterdam court acquits man in 2014 mistaken identity murder of mental health director
Image
A Dutch police officer standing by a police car
Pregnant woman thrown to ground at Zeist asylum shelter was trying to ask cop a question
Image
A Dutch police officer standing by a police car
Police threatened over video of cop throwing pregnant woman to floor in asylum shelter
Image
Police officers were pelted with fireworks in Eindhoven in 2023
Police blame hardening of society for 9% increase in use of force
Make NL Times your top Google source

Follow us:

Latest stories

  • Hottest night on Dutch records expected tomorrow; Code Orange takes effect at noon
  • 270 children abducted to or from the Nehterlands last year; Increase of over 25%
  • Fewer Dutch homeowners challenge property tax valuations
  • Public transport strike from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m.: No trains, buses, trams, metros running
  • Heat stress rising in workplaces, experts urge immediate preparation

Top stories

  • Hottest night on Dutch records expected tomorrow; Code Orange takes effect at noon
  • 270 children abducted to or from the Nehterlands last year; Increase of over 25%
  • Public transport strike from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m.: No trains, buses, trams, metros running
  • Life sentence sought for Dutch-Rwandan man over massacre of 3,000 Tutsi in 1994 genocide
  • Dutch official joins EU talks with Taliban on return of rejected asylum seekers

© 2012-2026, NL Times, All rights reserved.

Footer menu

  • Change Privacy Settings
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Partner Content