Two men face trial over extremist projections on Erasmus bridge

Two men accused of projecting far-right and discriminatory slogans on the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam during the 2022-2023 New Year’s Eve celebrations are set to appear in court in Rotterdam on Tuesday.

The suspects, 26-year-old John A. from Zwijndrecht and 36-year-old Daniil S. from Landgraaf, are also accused of similar incidents at the city halls of Alkmaar and Eindhoven in January and February 2023, respectively. The prosecution claims the men are linked to the extremist group White Lives Matter.

During the New Year’s incident, slogans such as “White Lives Matter” and “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children” were projected onto the Erasmus Bridge. In Eindhoven, messages including “Keep Lampegat white” and “Alaaf on behalf of White Netherlands” appeared on the city hall building.

Prosecutors allege the actions amount to group insult and incitement to discrimination. In addition to the projections, John A. is separately accused of possessing discriminatory stickers and sharing criminal images via two Telegram channels.

The charges come nearly a year after the defendants were handed previous sentences by the court in Breda. In March 2023, both men received community service and suspended prison sentences for distributing racist stickers and verbally assaulting two victims. One incident included the assault of a Black man, according to prosecutors.

The Rotterdam court hearing on Tuesday will review the full extent of the allegations, including the use of public buildings to broadcast extremist messaging. The prosecution is expected to present evidence tying the defendants to the slogans and the far-right organization.