The politics of apologetics

On the one hand, I meet plenty of people, both Dutch and Muslim, who say they condemn the Van Gogh murder. But. They understand it.

On the other hand, I meet a slightly smaller number of people, mainly Dutch and not as many Muslims, who say they don't want to condone the attacks on mosques. But. They understand it.

May I offer a heartfelt raised middle finger to both groups?

23:03

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House in The Hague 'full of explosives'

The siege has ended, two people have been arrested, which you can read more about in this article from the LA Times or this one from Expatica.

What you won't read there, however, is that Dutch PBS just announced there is a 'very persistent rumor' that the house they were in, is filled to the brim with explosives.

The press conference about the siege by the mayor of The Hague, Wim Deetman, was announced for the early evening, but is still pending.

22:48

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From the comments section

"There is a sobbing of the strong
And a pall across the land,
But the people in their sobbing
Bare the iron hand.
Beware the people sobbing
When they bare the iron hand."
(Herman Melville, on the occasion of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln)

Thank you, Jeffersonian, for posting this in the comments section. I've just returned home after a really long day. Blogging will resume after I've dealt with some email backlog and the cat.

22:43

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Update on anti-terror action

• Even more police have arrived in The Hague from Amsterdam and all over the country. I don't think I've seen this much police in one location ever before.
• Police have climbed the roofs.
• A 'number of suspects' are in a house on the Antheunisstraat.
• Surrounding houses have been evacuated.
• One police officer turns out to have been severely wounded.

An action using force seems imminent. Unfortunately, I have to drive to Utrecht in a few minutes. I'll try to keep you posted as best as I can.

• In Utrecht now, where there's WLAN. Here are some pictures of the area.

9:54

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A bit of roaring lion

The Dutch tend not to like nationalism, except when it's about soccer or when we are really, really mad.

So I liked this comment at Tim Blair's site:

'Never ever f**k with them. Slow to anger, they are utterly determined and utterly ruthless when they have to be, this is how they defeated the Spanish, built an empire, and taught the world about commerce.'

In other words, beware the anger of a patient man. Considering the things that have happened the past week, which I would never have deemed possible two weeks ago, I'm inclined to agree. After all, the motto beneath the two lions in our coat of arms doesn't say "Je Maintiendrai" (I Will Maintain) for no reason.

9:36

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Massive anti-terror action in The Hague

If I can believe RTL Nieuws, there's about forty different arrest teams currently active in the Laakkwartier precinct of The Hague in what seems to be a huge anti-terror action. Here's what I know so far:

• Airspace above The Hague has been sealed off until further notice.
• At 3 AM, arrest teams tried to enter a house on the Antheunisstraat in The Hague.
• Three officers were hurt, two of them allegedly quite severely to their stomach and legs, after explosions were heard. RTL Nieuws reports that a hand grenade was thrown at them. Two of the officers are still receiving hospital treatment.
• At 3.30 AM, shots were heard.
• No one is allowed into the area or even go back into their house. People can leave, but can't get in again. This led to strange situations in which a woman who had let out her dog couldn't return home. All those people are brought to a shelter.
• People who try to leave the area and have no identity papers, or turn out not to be registered on any address in the precinct, are brought down for further questioning.
• Around 8 AM, a man wearing only underwear who is reportedly of Asian descent, was apparently arrested. RTL Nieuws reports he's probably an illegal alien who had the bad luck of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nothing is known about further arrests.
• However, a negotiator has been brought in. This suggests that the initial bust went wrong, and the people who this is all about, are still inside.
• The number of officers and soldiers down there must be huge. Some of the units are military anti-terrorist teams, which implies that they expect a huge potential for violence. The military units, the BBE (Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid or Special Support Unit), were first founded in 1973 after the terrorist actions during the Olympic Games in 1972. They are not the kind of people you bring in for arresting a shoplifter.

Meanwhile, the police refuses to make any statements about the attack on the Pauluskerk (Church of Paul) in Boxmeer yesterday night, only hours after an Islamic school in Uden was completely destroyed.

9:06

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IFILM now hosts 'Submission'

IFILM has decided to be braver than Dutch tv stations and host the Van Gogh murder Submission (the film can be found here too, if you want to store it on your hard drive).
I'm not too happy with the number of views, 484 at the time I'm writing this. Let's get that rating up. I'll be satisfied only when the counter reaches 16.292.526 people, or the number of inhabitants of the Netherlands. Spread the word.

8:46

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Comments are off for the night

I need to get some sleep every now and then as well... One final update before I clock out for the night: the Islamic school that was set on fire in Uden was completely destroyed. Racist slogans were found painted on the walls. Pictures can be found here. In nearby Boxmeer, a church is burning. No details on that yet.

0:11

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