Overview

• Police in The Hague said roughly 205 people were detained on Thursday for public order offenses near and inside Central Station.
• Demonstrators initially rallied outside the Dutch foreign ministry supporting the Sumud flotilla, where clashes broke out and some chained themselves at the entrance.
• Organizers estimated the turnout at more than 600, and after the rally’s announced end several hundred blocked tram lines and then entered the station.
• Protesters occupied rail tracks and blocked ticket machines and escalators as officers formed cordons and used rubber batons, and ministry staff exited via emergency routes.
• Context: Israel maintains its naval blockade of Gaza, previously detaining six Dutch participants from the flotilla; the Dutch branch said a Dutch-flagged vessel, Mohammad Bhar, was intercepted carrying seven activists, and Prime Minister Dick Schoof said he expects their deportation soon without seeking an expedited release.