Dam Square

Rutger Groot Wassink, deputy mayor of Amsterdam, voiced concerns about racism in today's society during the 35th commemoration of the murder of Antillean boy Kerwin Duinmeijer on Dam Square on Monday. Over 200 people attended the commemoration for the 15-year-old boy, Het Parool reports. 

A tourist nearly lost a watch worth 150 thousand euros to muggers in Amsterdam on Sunday night. The police arrested two suspects and were able to recover the expensive watch, AT5 reports.

The tourist was in the vicinity of Dam square when he was mugged. The robbers took the watch and fled. 

A motorcycle officer spotted one of the suspects shortly afterwards. The suspect resisted arrest and tried to throw the watch away. Fortunately for the victim, the officer saw it happen and the watch was retrieved. The second suspect was arrested after a short search.

The Amsterdam municipality and police are taking into account that there may be counter-actions to a noise protest during the National Commemoration of World War II victims on Dam Square on Friday. Both members of the Moluccan community and veterans are furious that action group Geen 4 mei voor mij is planning to disrupt the commemoration, according to the Telegraaf.

Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus of Justice and Security calls a noise protest during the national commemoration of World War II victims on Amsterdam's Dam square "completely wrong", Het Parool reports. 

Action group Geen 4 mei voor mij is planning a noise protest during the national commemoration for World War II victims on Amsterdam's Dam square on Remembrance Day, May 4th. 

The Red Cross in the Netherlands will soon be using virtual reality films in their first aid courses. The aid organization thinks that this will help students better envision an emergency situation so that they can learn how to deal with it, NU.nl reports.

The virtual reality films will first be used during an attempt to break the world record for the largest first aid course on Dam square in Amsterdam on September 9th. The current record stands at 1,795 participants. The Red Cross hopes to get up to 2,500 people.

At 8:00 p.m. on Thursday the Netherlands commemorated the victims of World War II with two minutes of silence. Eleven people were arrested at or around the Remembrance Day commemoration ceremony on Dam Square in Amsterdam. According to the police, most committed minor offenses, AD reports.

A commemoration for asylum seekers who died in the crossing to Europe arranged for Amsterdam on Thursday evening, at the same time as the national commemoration for WWII victims for Remembrance Day, has been canceled, the initiators announced in an open letter. "Because it was never our intention to commemorate refugees from angry words, we decided to stop our initiative", Matthijs Jaspers said, Het Parool reports.

Panicky moments at the fair on Amsterdam's Dam square on Tuesday - a loose safety strap on the Bungee catapult ride resulted in a woman dangling from the ride as it went up and down. An extra strap prevented her from falling. A video of the incident shows the woman dangling loose in her seat, screaming.

https://youtu.be/VAFSKuY42pY

Visitors to a free Peep Show on Dam Square in Amsterdam on Tuesday got a rather different show than they expected. Instead of seeing a naked woman, they saw a young girl dressed in leopard print and huddled on a bed, arms folded. And a video in which former sex slaves tell their stories, Het Parool reports.

Amsterdam is expanding its ban against drinking alcohol on the streets of the city center. From Wednesday you are not allowed to drink alcohol around the Albert Heijn behind the Royal Palace and on the streets around the Leidseplein, Het Parool reports.

An alcohol ban is already in place for the Leidseplein itself.