Dutch Royal Family Apologises for Wrongful Arrest in Antwerp

The Dutch royal family was forced to apologise on Friday after the incorrect arrest of NPO Blend radio host Serginio Piqué on 2 August.

The radio DJ and his friends unknowingly followed the same route as Crown Princess Catharina-Amalia, daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, as they drove in a rented car from Amsterdam to Antwerp. They were arrested by armed SWAT officers on Frankrijklei in Antwerp city centre and were held at gunpoint before being questioned at a police station for an hour.

On Friday, Serginio’s lawyer, Vito Shukrula, told Femail that a spokesperson for the Dutch royal family apologized after the incident.

Vito said: “Yesterday, we were contacted by the personal spokesperson of the royal household. She informed us that the King—King Willem-Alexander—wanted us to know that the Dutch royal family understands how deeply frightening this experience must have been for my client and his friends.

“Furthermore, the King wanted to express his sympathy on behalf of the royal household and acknowledge that my client and his friends were victims of the situation.

“The royal family calls it an unfortunate consequence of the need to protect the royal household. For me and my client, this case was all about receiving recognition from the royal household for the wrongdoing that occurred.

“The Dutch royal secret service made a miscalculation and perceived my client and his friends as a threat to the princess. It was all very unfortunate.

“My client has accepted the personal apology from the royal family, and we will not pursue further legal action, as we have achieved what we sought—recognition for the terrible and unjust arrest of my client and his friends.”

The Crown Princess’s security is paramount due to her previously being the target of a kidnap plot by the so-called Dutch mafia, which forced her to go into hiding in Madrid for over a year.

Speaking about the ordeal, Serginio told Dutch publication NOS: “So many things go through your mind. You start to wonder if there was perhaps ethnic profiling involved. That is a feeling every person of colour experiences when they are wrongfully stopped.” He added that he does not believe his appearance was the reason for his arrest.

Source: Femail, NOS