"Rat catching" event arranged to rid Zaandam neighborhood of troublemakers

A Facebook event was created calling on volunteers to "catch rats" in the Zaandam neighborhood of Poelenburg. The event description strongly refers to a group of young people causing trouble in the neighborhood. The Poelenburg neighborhood has been restless for a few weeks. It made headlines for the first time last week when a group of young people threatened a camera crew reporting on harassment at a local shopping center. Since then there was vandalism at the shopping center, a local councilor pressed charges of intimidation against the group, and the authorities in Zaandam increased police presence and surveillance in the area. A number of people were arrested on Monday night in connection with this unrest. The Facebook event features a photo of 17-year-old vlogger Ismail Ilgun, considered the face of the group and the one to post videos of the youths antics on YouTube. "Pest control is currently too busy. Therefore this urgent call for a number of volunteers Saturday, 17 September, who want to rid the neighborhood of some dirty, filthy, smelly, infected rats", the event description reads. "All resources are allowed to free the neighborhood of this nasty species. They are recognizable by their big hooked nose and sunken skinny body." So far over a thousand people indicated that they'd be attending the "event" and more than 3 thousand are interested.