Kick Out Zwarte Piet is pleased that four suspects of the Sinterklaas riots in Staphorst have appeared in court and received sentences, but according to the organization, these are too few. ‘By letting other suspects go free, the Public Prosecution Service is further endangering the lives of peaceful KOZP demonstrators.’
KOZP said this in a response to Tuesday’s lawsuit. This statement was released today by law firm Prakken d’Oliveira Human Rights Lawyers. The officer demands 180 hours of community service, to be replaced by 90 days in custody and a suspended prison sentence of two weeks with a probationary period of three years. If the gentlemen cross the line again in three years, she will have to grumble. The verdict will follow.
Three men from Staphorst and a man from Twenterand had to answer for the unrest that arose when KOZP wanted to demonstrate against Black Pete in Staphorst on November 22, 2022. KOZP urgently calls on the Public Prosecution Service to prosecute all suspects who have been identified. According to the organization, these people are all in the picture. ‘It seems that the Public Prosecution Service wants to score cheaply in this way.’
Broader context
According to KOZP, the Public Prosecution Service is treating the case as an isolated incident, rather than in a broader context of structural racist violence against peaceful demonstrators that make annual KOZP demonstrations impossible. “The protesters were not attacked because of who they are or where they were. They were attacked because KOZP was targeted and did not shy away from violence to prevent KOZP’s demonstration against racism. By letting suspects go free and not identifying racist motives, future perpetrators are encouraged and the Public Prosecution Service further endangers the lives of peaceful KOZP demonstrators.’
After various investigations, in which the municipality of Staphorst and the police were criticized for their role during this Saturday, November 22, 2022, improvement was promised. “But this is not evident from the Public Prosecution Service’s intention to prosecute only four people and only to investigate the violence that Amnesty employees also fell victim to,” KOZP writes in the statement.
Suprised
‘Take, for example, the situation at the petrol station in Meppel, where the KOZP bus was crushed and objects and fireworks were thrown. Peaceful protesters were injured and the bus was damaged. This happened more or less simultaneously with the attack in Staphorst. But despite the fact that KOZP has identified suspects after its own investigation, the Public Prosecution Service has done nothing with it.’
KOZP is surprised that of the many people who attacked the passenger cars on the A28 exit, only four suspects have been brought to justice. In addition, according to KOZP, KOZP and other victims are being left out of the procedure and not being heard in a lawsuit.