Police have disabled comments on Facebook and Instagram posts related to a controversial arrest at an asylum shelter in Zeist, Netherlands, after receiving a wave of threatening and abusive reactions online.
The decision came after video footage emerged showing a violent arrest, including an officer handling a police dog forcefully pushing a pregnant woman to the ground.
A police spokesperson said the volume and nature of the responses prompted the move. “Criticism and dialogue are good and important, but all standards of decency have been violated,” she said.
According to the spokesperson, the posts attracted what she described as “the most severe threats,” among other hostile comments. She added that it remains unclear whether authorities will examine the messages for potential criminal offenses. “It is still too early for that.”
Although the arrest took place last month, police only addressed the incident publicly over the weekend after the footage began circulating widely on social media, according to NL Times.
The video was also shared by international news outlet Al Jazeera.
The broadcaster reported that officers were called to the asylum shelter after a Palestinian resident allegedly became distressed upon learning of a family member’s death in Gaza and caused damage to his room.
The incident also drew international attention from Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories.
Responding on X, she wrote: “Dutch friends. ‘If you tolerate this, then your children will be next.’”
On Saturday, police confirmed that the Rijksrecherche, the agency responsible for investigating incidents involving government services such as the police, would assess whether the officers’ use of force during the arrest was justified.
Authorities noted that such reviews are standard procedure whenever police violence is involved.
Police further stated that the footage circulating online depicts only “part of the event.”
Video: https://x.com/JoseArocaALC/status/2060654787226419606?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2060654787226419606%7Ctwgr%5E2da1ff3e2a45eba37cd4a9880ed86ddb95cc83e9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnltimes.nl%2F2026%2F06%2F01%2Fpolice-threatened-video-cop-throwing-pregnant-woman-floor-asylum-shelter
