Dutch prosecutors seek community service and prison term in university protest case

Dutch prosecutors have asked an Amsterdam court to sentence Samer A., 37, to 80 hours of community service and 100 days in prison over an alleged attack on two people at a University of Amsterdam protest. Of the proposed prison term, 64 days would be suspended. A. has already spent the unsuspended portion in pre-trial detention, according to an ANP report carried by Nieuws.nl. The request is not a court sentence. [3]

ANP reported that videos shown at Tuesday’s hearing depicted A. striking both people on the head with a wooden plank during a confrontation between two groups. Prosecutors allege that he and others struck the pair near the university’s Roeterseiland campus on 6 May 2024. According to the prosecution’s account, one person suffered scratches to the head and the other a fractured skull. [3] [2]

Protesters had set up tents and were calling on the university to cut ties with Israel, ANP reported. A group of masked men carrying torches disrupted the demonstration, and blows were exchanged. Prosecutors said the two people allegedly attacked were watching the confrontation, not part of the group that disrupted the protest. [3]

The prosecution describes the suspected offences as attempted serious assault and public violence. The court listed a full hearing concerning violence at a university campus on 20 October, but cautions that its schedule does not establish the final charges. [2] [1]