Mass Police Raid on Immigrants in Amsterdam, juli 2007

Published in The African Bulletin july 2007 (http://www.mediablackberry.com/)

By Taiwo Feyisipo

"It seems the Dutch people do not have respect for Africans," said one of the victims of the recent mass police raid in Amsterdam South East.

These days, raids by the police on immigrants, particularly in Amsterdam are becoming the order of day! An entertainment event was organized at the Grand Café on Friday, 15 June 2007 where two prominent African Artists, popularly known as Osuofia (actor, musician and comedian) and Maleke (comedian) and other dance groups were billed to put up a show. The gate opened around 9 p.m. for the show that was supposed to last till dawn.

According to eye witnesses, the Dutch police surrounded the venue at around 1.30 a.m. like swarm of bees with dogs, horses, battle-ready gears as if there was a war. They busted into the Café, giving out leaflets that they were there for ‘search and control'. Picking up the microphone, they announced that those with Dutch identities should step forward to leave; others with foreign identities to step to one side while the rest should step to another side. There was panic, confusion, fear, anger and despair to the extent that someone in the crowd fainted and had to be attended to by the paramedics. While the search and control was still going on, some questioned the police on their discriminatory acts, especially when a mixed couple got separated with a control on the African while the white partner was not controlled. The operation was said to have lasted until 8 a.m.

The artists (Osuofia and Maleke) were not spared of the ill-treatment. Osuofia alleged that he was pushed, harassed and wisked out of the Café into the cold without a jacket even though he identified himself. Maleke got the worst treatment in the hands of the police when he refused to carry a placard with a number to be photographed like a criminal. When he protested, he got thrown to the floor, hand-cuffed and bundled into one of the more than 12 waiting vans used to transport the arrested people to detention cells where he spent more than 10 hours before being released in the middle of nowhere, even though told the police he was not familiar with Amsterdam. According to Maleke, the police informed the management of Grand Café of the intending raid but the organisers insisted he was not aware of it.

A Dutch police spokesperson in a statement said that 111 people were arrested when they stormed the premises for being in the country illegally and "now we must investigate in what way they are implicated in internet fraud." According to the police, 8 of those arrested had false papers and have been prosecuted while others were released except those with extra charges against them. TAB however learnt from a reliable source that not less than 62 of those arrested have been deported to Nigeria. Grand Café is owned by a Nigerian businessman.

The police said the exercise was part of Operation Apollo launched late last year to fight internet fraud scams operated by West Africans, notably Nigerians. Since the operation started, police have arrested 80 suspects, most of them from Nigeria, and seized from their homes lists of e-mail addresses, as well as fake documents. Police said about 2,000 internet fraudsters are active in the country.

A lady who attended the Grand Café event but was not arrested because she has a residence permit however revealed to The African Bulletin that she suspected that the police raid was meant to particularly embarrass Osuofia because of his popular ‘unofficial 4-1-9 anthem'. Osuofia (real name Nkem Owoh) is a hugely popular Nigerian artist with a top hit song titled "I Go Chop Your Dollar" which ridicules Europeans and Americans who fall for fraudulent scams.

Few weeks earlier, in a similar raid, police stormed a popular Internet Café, Combiteq in the Bijlmer area, claiming to be looking for fraudsters who send spam e-mails. Several arrests were made and computer hardwares were confisticated, causing serious loss of business to the business owner. This has made the owner of Combiteq internet café miffed because his business was being victimized despite enormous amount of money spent on not less than five anti-spam softwares which of-course cannot guarantee 100 percent protection.

Most critics question the manner and conducts of the incessant police raids. Oppositions to it have been raised by various commentators including the Dutch Groenlinks (political party) and the Nigerian Embassy in the Hague who are seriously looking into the matter through consultations with different groups in the community, diplomatic circles, Dutch authorities and the victims themselves. At Amsterdam Stadhuis (city hall), peaceful demonstrations were staged by Africans, where the Mayor promised to look into the matter with their position made public soon. Petitions by Africans have also been delivered to the appropriate authorities. Series of consultations and meetings were held and calls made to the Africa community, urging them to collectively work together to address issues such as one in which an event that attracted Africans from various segments of the society was aborted without any regard, respect and dignity to them.

Published in The African Bulletin july 2007 (http://www.mediablackberry.com/)

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