Several students from a high school in the north of the Netherlands, including Catalan exchange students, were threatened, humiliated, and recorded by strangers in two incidents where the minors were forced to kneel and apologize under the alleged threat of a firearm.
In a letter sent to parents and guardians by the school, Harens Lyceum, which is in the possession of the local network RTV Noord, it is explained that the events have caused a “great shock,” and that there were two “serious and similar” episodes that occurred in different parts of the municipality of Haren. The first took place near the Haren train station. The foster father of one of the affected students, a 14-year-old boy from Barcelona, for whom it was his first day of class, told the local press that he was heading with four others to a sports day. “A boy on a fatbike [a wide-wheeled bike very popular among young Dutch people] passed them at high speed, very close to them.” The Spanish students made some comment, and according to this father, “then the person in question lifted his jacket and showed a weapon, which later turned out to possibly be fake.” He then forced the students to kneel and apologize while recording the scene on his mobile phone.
The students immediately reported the events to the school teachers, and the school authorities contacted the police, who took their statements. In an email response to this newspaper’s questions, the school authorities point out that, pending police updates on the events, “they focus their attention internally, on the students, their well-being, and their education.” “After all, the care of the students is their first and most important responsibility.”
Haren has about 18,500 inhabitants, and hours later a second incident occurred near a supermarket in the center. Here, a group of Dutch and Catalan students were threatened—this time by several individuals—who also forced them to kneel and apologize under the alleged threat of a weapon. Again, everything was recorded and the police were alerted once more. Although both cases occurred outside the school premises, the person responsible for the student exchange at Harens Lyceum, Hans Warris, assured the Dutch media that the students are fine despite the circumstances. “Today it is a group of our students, but it could have been anyone else,” he said.
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At night, a third assault occurred at the train station: under the threat of a hammer, a fatbike was stolen from a minor. There is one suspect detained, another minor, and the police are investigating whether the three incidents might be related.
The foster family of the Catalan student has explained that the minor is fine and that his parents in Spain have already been informed. The Dutch mother also said that her son “has been walking around Barcelona for a week, and nothing happened there,” in relation to the exchange. The school has indicated that it has maintained contact with the leaders of the Spanish group, who in turn have informed the families of the minors in Catalonia. Additionally, the school cooperates with the police to prevent new incidents, although it has confirmed that the activities of the exchange program continue as planned.
In any case, in its communication to families, Harens Lyceum has recommended that students do not travel alone and that it is better to do so in groups of several people between different activities. According to the Dutch police, these events coincide with the growing spread on social networks of so-called “humiliation videos,” in which young people are forced under threats to kneel and apologize, sometimes with physical assaults. The officers consider it a “worrying and terrible” phenomenon because the images end up on social networks and due to the impact it has on the victims. In the case of the harassed students, it is not yet known if the reported recordings correspond to that pattern.
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