Thousands at Black Lives Matter protests in Maastricht, Zwolle
Thousands of people attended anti-racist police brutality protests in Maastricht and Zwolle on Sunday. Both demonstrations were peaceful and without incidents, with participants all adhering to social distancing measures, NU.nl reports.
According to the local security region, the demonstration in Maastricht attracted around 1,400 people to city park De Griend. This protest was a sit-in and the organizers had marked spots on the grass where protesters could sit and keep 1.5 meters apart.
Around a thousand people attended the Zwolle protest in Wezenlandenpark, according to NU.nl. there was sufficient space for everyone to maintain social distancing. The city took extra security measures after reports that the hardcore fan group of football club PEC Zwolle planned to disrupt the protest, but they were prevented from reaching the park, according to the newspaper.
The protests in Zwolle and Maastricht were the latest of many demonstrations worldwide meant to show support for Americans protesting against anti-Black violence. The demonstrations were prompted by the death in police custody of George Floyd, who died nearly two weeks ago after a police officer kneeled on his neck for over eight minutes. Floyd was detained because of a counterfeit $20 bill and he was the latest in a series of Black people killed by police violence in the United States. Another recent example is Breonna Taylor, who was shot dead in her home by police raiding the wrong house.
Previous Netherlands protests were held in Amsterdam, The Hague, Groningen, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Nijmegen, Enschede, Arnhem, Tilburg and Eindhoven. Another protest is scheduled for Amsterdam Zuidoost on Wednesday.
