Hundreds of protesters gathered at Vredenburg Square, Utrecht on Thursday to condemn an act of ‘racist violence’ by a local police officer, following a viral incident that has sparked international outrage.
According to TRT World, the demonstration was triggered by video footage widely circulated on social media, showing a police officer assaulting two Muslim women in front of the Hoog Catharijne shopping mall. The footage reveals the officer striking one woman with a baton and kicking the other in the stomach.
Chanting slogans such as “No justice, no peace” and “Fascist police, stop the terror,” the crowd marched toward the Paardenveld police station. Protesters argued that the assault was not an isolated event but rather a symptom of “systemic and repeated” racist violence within the Dutch police force.
Anis Boumanjal, the lawyer representing the victims, reported that both women sustained injuries and are currently receiving medical treatment.
According to Boumanjal, the officer allegedly hurled racist insults during the assault, telling the women, “You don’t belong in this country.”
In an official statement, the Utrecht police confirmed that an investigation has been launched and all available footage will be reviewed. While the police spokesperson acknowledged that the video has raised strong emotions and questions regarding racism, they also noted that one of the women had been detained on suspicion of insulting an officer.
The case continues to draw heavy scrutiny from human rights advocates, who view the investigation as a critical test of the Dutch authorities’ commitment to tackling Islamophobia and police brutality.
