The curfew riots in Eindhoven and Den Bosch, among others, due to the imposition of the curfew in 2021 are still fresh in the memory. According to the Dutch Police Union, these were the most violent riots in the Netherlands since the squatters’ riots of 1980. Because those squatters’ riots were not bad either, says police officer Hennie van Bentum. He worked for the riot police in the eighties and was at the front of the line.
Tanks rolling through the streets, dozens injured and an explosion of violence. In 1980, several battles broke out between squatters and the police and the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee in Amsterdam, among other places. There was a great housing shortage and squatters did not agree that they were being evicted. Henry remembers it well.
“The 1980s were very busy for us as ME anyway, largely because of the squatters’ riots. We have had many evictions, such as at the Lucky Luyk squat and in the Vondelstraat. All riots where we were at the front of the line.”
He talks about barricades of squatters who killed the Army and Marechaussee with heavy artillery such as tanks and armored cars. Yet Van Bentum never worried at that time. He still sees demonstrating as a great right and he knew where the limit lay. “It was up to us how far we let it go, we set the limit. I never had the feeling that it was out of control.”
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“Police officers are now being put on social media with a photo. I am not happy with that.”
He is more concerned about the current era. “When I look at the 1980s, we saw a large number of people demonstrating from an ideological point of view. Think of nuclear weapons and housing shortages. When we looked through their glasses, we understood that. They were against the system and we maintained public order.”
He calls it an ‘annoying development’ that the violence these days is not necessarily directed against the system, but against individuals. “Police officers are being photographed all the time these days and posted on social media. Then they find out where they live and they are suddenly at the door at the home front. I’m not happy about that. I never had the feeling that they were with me before. would come home.”
Was everything better in the past? “No, I don’t believe that. The eighties were intense. There were a lot of things going on at the same time that we had a lot of work to do. Protests at the nuclear power plant in Dodewaard, in Hoogerheide they demonstrated against the arrival of cruise missiles, there were transports of radioactive waste from nuclear power plants, a train hijacking, coronation riots and the visit of the Pope. All in all, that was a lot.”
What has struck him in all those years is that at every demonstration there is a group of rioters who only come to make a mess. “And that is the most difficult group, they go through all the riots. That group still exists and has grown in size. Corona has played a part, there are a lot of frustrations and social media can also add fuel to the fire.”
Omroep Brabant Radio dives into The Feeling of the Eighties this week. We step into a time machine and go about 40 years back in time. You will hear the best music from the 80s all week long. Do you want to see the movie ‘ET’ exclusively in the cinema? Listen to ‘The Feeling of the Eighties’ and win tickets!