Nine Arrested After Activists Disrupt Nijmegen Bombing Commemoration During U.S. Ambassador's Speech

Overview

• Demonstrators interrupted Ambassador Joe Popolo's address with anti-American and pro-Palestinian chants, according to local reports.
• Police removed protesters from the site and detained nine on public-order grounds, municipal officials said.
• XR Justice Now, a subgroup of Extinction Rebellion, claimed responsibility and framed the action as a response to current U.S.-backed or -conducted bombings.
• Mayor Hubert Bruls condemned the disruption as disrespectful to those honored at the memorial.
• The ceremony commemorated the 1944 U.S. bombardment of Nijmegen that killed roughly 800 people, with reports differing on whether it took place at Monument De Schommel or the town-hall square.