French President Emmanuel Macron visits the University of Amsterdam, in Amsterdam, Netherlands (Image: Reuters)
Two protesters were detained because they charged at French President Macron as he stepped out of a limousine to attend an event in Amsterdam
Police in the Netherlands arrested two protesters who charged towards French President Emmanuel Macron outside Amsterdam University on Wednesday, news agency AFP reported. The French President is on a state visit to the Netherlands but tensions at home have followed him abroad as he was heckled over violent protests at home over pensions reforms.
Earlier on Tuesday, banners reading “Where is French democracy?” were raised by activists when the French President was addressing a largely student audience at a theatre in The Hague.
His controversial comments on Taiwan, the United States and China also has attracted the ire of his detractors at home and abroad.
“For the honour of the workers and a better world — even if Macron doesn’t like it, we are here,” one protester chanted as he was subdued and pinned down by security guards, footage of the video, which has gone viral on social media, showed.
The protester ran towards the French President and was tackled to the ground. He also knocked over a man in uniform, the videos shared on social media showed.
The incident occurred minutes after Macron stepped out of a limousine with Dutch King Willem-Alexander and was speaking to Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema.
“We arrested two protesters for running towards the president. For disturbing public order and threatening. It was a man and a woman, protesters. One of them had a banner,” Amsterdam police spokesperson Lex van Liebergen was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.
Liebergen further added that there was a separate small group of demonstrators but it was unclear if the arrested duo were members of the same group.
Macron’s state visit to the Netherlands was the first by a French president in 23 years.
He sparked controversy recently after he said in an interview with media outlets Politico and Les Echos that Europe should not “follow” the United States or China when it came to Taiwan.
The Elysee Palace on Tuesday responded to the criticism directed at Macron and clarified that the president had never called for Europe to remain “equidistant” from the United States and China.
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