On Monday, March 13, 1978, just after ten o’clock in the morning, three Moluccan activists storm the provincial house in Assen. They take dozens of employees hostage in an office on the first floor.
Next Monday it will be exactly 45 years ago that the hostage-taking happened. Bernhard Hanskamp from Nijland and Jacob Nieuwschip from Westerbork were there. In the Radio Drenthe program cassata they looked back on that event.
“I think this year is more special than other years, because March 13 also falls on a Monday this year,” says Hanskamp. “Of course I have many memories of it, but they are not just negative or fearful. Next Monday we will also look back, during a private memorial in the provincial government.”
Nieuwschip also looks back on that Monday morning in 1978 with varying degrees. “You don’t talk about it for a while, but later you can deal with it better.”
However, Nieuwschip has more difficulty with it this year than usual. “My wife asked last night if it’s okay for me to talk about this, because everything will come up then. But I said it’s okay. I just have to admit that I’ve been a bit less comfortable with it for a day or two.” he admits. “I remember everything, down to the smallest details.”
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