Dutch protesters accused of hi-jacking Sanda Dia death to campaign against racism
The outcome of the court case involving those held responsible for the hazing following which Leuven student Sanda Dia died is not only stirring emotions in Belgium. After the media in the Netherlands paid extensive attention to the case over the past few days, there have also been calls for a demonstration in the Hague this afternoon. It will mainly be a protest against racism and discrimination.
The case following Sanda Dia's death is international news. Prestigious US newspapers including the New York Times and the Washington Post devoted extensive coverage to it in recent days. They highlight racism, even though that was actually only a side issue during the trial.
In the Netherlands, the trial was followed with above-average interest. The media reported extensively on it and well-known journalist Tim Hofman is considering making a broadcast on the subject. Via his Instagram channel, Hofman called for information to be passed on.
And now the Dutch interest and accompanying outrage is also leading to a demonstration, this afternoon in the Hague, near the Belgian embassy. There are also plans to take to the streets of Rotterdam this weekend. "The issue really resonates here," Joris Van Poppel, reporter for Dutch public broadcaster NOS, told VRT. "There is outrage about the rather lenient punishments. People want to know more about that."
The discussion provoked by the Sanda Dia case is not so much about student hazing rituals. The call to demonstrate comes from the civil rights movement "Black Manifesto", which fights racism and discrimination, and has also already protested against the Black Peter tradition linked to celebrations of St Nicholas. Black Peters are St Nicholas’s sometimes blacked up sidekicks. The political party Bij1 - with one seat in the Lower House – will reportedly also participate.
Van Poppel: "There was also a lot of attention in the Netherlands for the student hazing, but this demonstration is about racism. These organisations want to denounce that, and the Sanda Dia case is being used to this end. I expect a few hundred people, but the exact turnout is difficult to estimate."
Pieter Huyberechts, journalist for Flemish daily Het Nieuwsblad and author of the book "Sanda Dia, the hazing that led to death", told VRT that racism did not play a large role in the case. "The case is now being hijacked. It is being turned into a racist murder. This means it is no longer about the facts."