Hugely frustrating. This is how Daniëlle van der Linden (40) from Kaatsheuvel describes the events of last weekend. She was one of the alleged victims of needle spiking during the Square Festival in her village. She would have been pricked with a needle and then passed out. But as with all other cases, nothing suspicious was found in her blood either. “But I do feel when someone puts a needle in my body, don’t I?”
Danielle immediately gets to the heart of the problem. ‘Cause even though the rumors take over needle spiking rapidly, there is no proof yet that someone was really drugged with a hypodermic needle.
And so many experts are skeptical at this point. For example at the Trimbos Institute. “We have to take it seriously, but there is a good chance that it often involves too much alcohol,” said drug prevention expert Martha de Jonge.
“I hadn’t drunk anything, used nothing, but it still went wrong.”
That went down the wrong way with Danielle. “Then how do they explain that I out went? I hadn’t drunk anything, used nothing, but it still went wrong.”
What exactly happened? “I walked into the tent on Anton Pieckplein with my daughter in search of a girlfriend. When that didn’t work because of the crowds, we wanted to go outside again. There were some dodgy types at the exit. One of them yelled something to my daughter, “Will you pass by, honey?” So I pushed her through quickly. That’s when I felt the prick in my arm.”
“Did I feel that right? It won’t, will it?”
Immediately the questions raced through Danielle’s head. “Did I feel that right? It won’t, will it?” After that it went fast.”A minute or two later we were walking towards the bumper cars. Suddenly I didn’t feel quite well. Kind of like having really low blood sugar. And then I went out.”
When she awoke moments later, Danielle didn’t doubt for a second what had happened to her. “I looked at my arm and clearly saw a puncture wound. One and one is two.” That night she was admitted to the hospital, where a blood test was also taken. So without result.
It is precisely these kinds of stories that raise many questions. Because how is it possible that someone who has not used alcohol or drugs, just goes down? And where does such a wound come from? But on the other hand, why isn’t anything suspicious found in the blood?
“People don’t just make this up.”
Until clear answers emerge, it remains a mystery how seriously we should take this worrying fad. At the Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital in Tilburg they do not take any risks. Over the past few days, they have developed a special protocol there, for if possible victims of needle spiking come in. “We don’t know yet whether it is fear or whether it is real,” says Liesbeth de Vos, doctor at the emergency department. “But people don’t just make this up.”
Danielle also wants to emphasize the latter. “At the moment it seems as if all the experts are dismissing it. I can take that, but I think it is terrible for all those young girls if they are not believed later.”
