MASS ARRESTS AT AMSTERDAM EU SUMMIT ILLEGAL
The Amsterdam Court stated on 31 July that all arrests that were made during the EU-summit in Amsterdam, using paragraph 140 of the Dutch Penal Code (on membership in a criminal organisation) were illegal. Furthermore the court declared that the police breached the law by preventing the ex-detainees from voicing their opinion about the EU.
A total of 270 people arrested by police during the Summit had sought financial compensation for their arrest, their 3-day imprisonment, their bad treatment and the fact that the arrests made it impossible for them to voice their opinion about the EU.
The court found that:
all arrests were illegal from the beginning;
the people detained were effectively hindered from exercising their freedom of opinion;
the use of plastic handcuffs was illegal and dangerous;
detainees were held in busses too long;
hygiene conditions were very bad;
food- and drink-supply was below acceptable standards;
medical care was insufficient;
detainees should have been informed about the situation and should have been allowed to contact their families.
All ex-detainees who applied are eligible for financial compensation of a maximum 2,500 Dutch guilders. Complainants will also be reimbursed expenses in connection with attending the trial.
Immediately after the verdict, the Public Prosecutor announced that he would appeal the verdict.
Source: Autonoom Centrum, Amsterdam; on mass arrests at Amsterdam Summit, see FECL No.51: "Mass arrests at the Amsterdam EU-Summit" & "Police operation at Amsterdam Summit: a test run of political policing in the EU?".