Flower arrangements at the war memorial in Rijswijk have again become the target of vandals. In the night after Remembrance Day, flower wreaths were already pulled apart and thrown into the water. Yesterday, the police received another report that ‘a number of young people’ walked away from the Monument to the Fallen with flower arrangements.
The police in Rijswijk received a report of a second incident at the war memorial in the night from Friday to Saturday. A concerned local resident would have seen a group of young people run away with the flowers that were at the memorial site.
Officers rushed to the location and saw two boys with flowers in their hands on the way. The boys were immediately arrested. Things also went wrong in the vicinity of the monument the night before, when torn flower wreaths were found in the water on Friday morning, on Liberation Day.
We have investigated whether the boys have anything to do with this incident, which could not be determined
“We have investigated whether the boys have anything to do with this incident, that could not be determined,” said the police. The investigation into who is responsible for the incident after Remembrance Day is therefore still ongoing. The boys who were arrested on Saturday night have since been released. The Public Prosecution Service has fined both of them for rowdy behavior.
Text continues below the photo.
Mayor Huri Sahin said on Friday that he regretted the destruction of the wreaths. The day before she attended ‘an impressive memorial gathering with a high attendance of young and old’. “It is appalling, unacceptable and disrespectful that after this dignified gathering, the wreaths and flowers laid with care and respect have been destroyed.”
Read also:
– Flower wreaths thrown into water after Remembrance Day: ‘This is not just a bad boy’
“We strongly disapprove of this kind of action and behavior,” said Sahin. “The police and our municipal enforcers have been on site. Every effort will be made to apprehend the perpetrator or perpetrators quickly. I hope that the perpetrator or perpetrators will be arrested soon,” said the mayor earlier this weekend.
Fish out of the water
A passerby who was walking his dog made the first report of the destroyed wreaths in the water around 07:00 on Friday morning. Then the police and municipality quickly arrived on the spot to fish the flowers out of the water. Marc Weterings, councilor in Rijswijk, was one of the first to be informed. He also immediately took a closer look at the monument.
The Rijswijk councilor had few good words to say about Friday night’s incident. “What makes someone do something like that? It must have been a conscious act. This is not just some rascal throwing a wreath into the water, it was quite a bit of work when you see how many flowers there are.”
Weterings places vandalism in a broader context, in which, according to him, there is little respect for Dutch traditions. “This year you had someone in Breda who started screaming during the commemoration and a few years ago, of course, the Dam screamer.”
We are really in the danger zone and we have to act hard against this
“We live in a time when traditions are becoming less and less valuable for a large group of extremes. We are really in the danger zone and we have to act hard against this. If something like camera surveillance is needed at memorial wreaths, that’s sad, but then so be it,” says Weterings.
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and don’t miss a thing of the stars.
