Several hundred protesters demonstrated in Amsterdam against the publication of the Mohammed cartoons.
Several waved a Moroccan or Turkish flag. One young man who had a Danish flag was forced by the police to put it away.
The protest started off peacefully. About an hour into the demonstration young men wearing Hamas jackets raced screaming from one side of the protest to the other. Several made it clear that they did not want to be filmed. Despite attempts by elders in the crowd as well as one of the imams to stop, they continued on and were finally arrested by the police.
One of the kids who were interviewed, Yunul of Turkish descent did not understand why slogans were being shouted in Arabic. "This should be a calm protest. Slogans are being shouted, but Dutch won't understand what it's about."
Meanwhile, 150 schoolkids demonstrated in Maastricht, burning a paper Danish flag. The police allowed the demonstration though no permit had been asked for. The demonstrators were accompanied by police.
The kids, who were wearing Arabic dress, shouted Arab slogans. City citizens who passed by reacted to that with laughter to which several kids reacted with hostility.
Sources: NRC Handelsblad (Dutch), Het Parool (Dutch)
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