R. was arrested on March 11 after he allegedly drove a shovel through a barrier at a farmers’ protest in The Hague. “He doesn’t belong here. He belongs with his wife and children at home,” the prison said. The anger is great among a group of farmers from the area of Alphen and Nieuwkoop. They don’t want their name in the paper. “But he was wrongfully imprisoned. Write that down.”
As fast as the group came, they leave again. In the meantime, they honk their tractors. “We hope he hears us,” says one of them. That seems certain: because of the loud honking, detainees also start to stir. For a moment there is a cacophony of back-and-forth shouting. When the last farmer drives off the street, the hashtag #freejohan remains on social media, which is widely shared.
The 60-year-old R. appeared in court on Friday afternoon, but his case was not dealt with substantively because he had challenged the court. Before the judge withdrew, he did decide that R. had to stay in jail longer.
A video and a photo of the action at the prison show at least eight tractors honking past the complex on Eikenlaan. A white limousine also rode in the procession. A spokesman said the municipality was not aware of the action. But that it was allowed after the group promised to leave after half an hour. The spokesperson estimates that the action ended around 9:45 p.m.