Two boys arrested for removing flowers from war memorial in Rijswijk

Two boys were arrested on Friday night for taking away flowers that had been placed at the war memorial in Rijswijk for Remembrance Day. The night before, the flowers at the memorial were also taken away. For instance, the wreaths were torn apart and thrown into the pond next to the monument.

The police received a report that a number of young people had stolen the flowers commemorating the victims of World War II. When the police were on their way to the memorial of the fallen at Laan Hofrust, the officers saw two boys walking with flowers in their hands. They were then immediately arrested, the police wrote on Facebook.

The two boys have since been released. Prosecutors fined them for negligent assault. However, the police were unable to determine whether the boys had anything to do with the incident on the night of May 4 to 5. "We are still investigating who did this," police said.

Mayor Huri Sahin van Rijswijk was shocked to hear about the destruction of the memorial after Remembrance Day. "It is appalling, unacceptable, and disrespectful," she told Omroep West.