Queen's Birthday, 30th April 2009
What started as a beautiful, sunny, very festive day, perfect for this national celebration ended in a horrible tragedy in Apeldoorn, where the queen and all her relatives were celebrating. From early in the morning until 11:50 AM it was a very great day and all the people in the streets were happy and enthusiastic, cheering and singing. Then it was abruptly broken off. The whole country is shocked. Flags are flying at half-mast. Will this be the end of this national holiday in future?
This has never happened before...This has always been a very beautiful occasion, creating a sense of unity,fellowship.
Four people are reported to have been killed and thirteen hurt in The Netherlands after a car careered into spectators watching a royal motorcade.
People were flung through the air after the car swerved across police railings
A photographer said the small car appeared to be deliberately driving at high speed toward an open-top bus carrying Queen Beatrix and her family in the western Dutch town of Apeldoorn.
Cynthia Boll said she saw about 20 people "flying through the air" after the black Suzuki car swerved across police railings, where crowds of people were waiting to see the queen pass.
The car slammed into a monument. Video footage showed police removing a man from the vehicle and putting him into an ambulance. He is a thirty-eight year old man and confessed that he did this action on purpose. At this moment he is being operated on and can not be interrogated by the police. It's not a terrorist action.
34 comments:
Not a funny day...
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Now it happens even in The Netherlands?! What is our world coming to? I am very sorry for this shocking tragedy in your country on what should have been a happy day.
How very sad, Wil! The Netherlands, like Canada, is a place where tragedies such as this are most unexpected. I imagine many Dutch are quite shaken by this.
Wil....I am so sad this happened.
Evil will always be with us and we never know when it will appear or in what form! I pray for all the pull involved and those who had to witness this horror!
xoxo,
Carol
I don't know how I got pull instead of people! Sorry !!
What an incredibley horrible thing to happen. There is no way to understand it.
My heart goes out to the victims but also for the loss of innocence of the Dutch people. You are all in my prayers.
How very terrible, Wil! I, too, feel so sorry for the victims of this madman, and everyone affected by his merciless deed.
Hugs and prayers,
Renie
Oh, that's terrible! Those poor people who were just having a great day until this madman did this horrible act. No one is safe anywhere these days.
On a lighter note....I want that little cutie that is pictured in your header. Please??
Oh how awful, I am so very sorry for this tragedy. My sympathy goes out to all of you in the Netherlands, and especially to the victims and their families.
"...Things fall apart; the center cannot hold . . .Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world." (W.B.Yeats)
Mindless violence is perhaps the most frightening kind.
Oh my God! how horrible it is! it is in public and there are so many people! So sorry for the tragedy. My sympathy for Netherlands. I am still shocked after looking the picture here!
What a horrible tragedy.
My sympathy and condolences to all the Dutch people particularly those whose loved ones were directly impacted.
O Wil, this makes me so sick, especially happening on Queen's day. I read it just before I logged onto blogger in more graphic terms. For the families of the victims this day of celebration will be forever a tragic day. It's tough for Beatrix too.
i have been listening to this today on bbc radio...and of course thought of you. thank you for sharing with us...take care.
I'm so saddened to hear this has happened. I'll be paying attention to the news stories.
My first thought is terrorism or anti-some group, but if that's ruled out, then mis-treated mental illness comes to mind (like the Virginia Tech case). OK, no jumping to conclusions, back to reading the news stories.
So sorry a beautiful tradition has been marred by tragedy.
Ha, so horrible Wil. My heart cries for those hurt and for the crazy man. I'm imagining the horror of the people out there. The Queen must have been terrified I guess. Oh...that's bad.
How sad. It was shocking to watch.My thoughts goes to you all.Hug from me:)
That's horrible. My thoughts are with all of you.
I saw this on the news today. That is a shock for everyone that was there to enjoy the day and then to have this happen.
Wil: So very sorry that your lovely day went bad this way.
You are a survivor. I trust your wonderful countrymen and Queen will not allow this ugliness to sour your national glory.
Our hearts are with thre injured, and ideed with all of you who suffered this beastly assault.
Aloh my friend
It is unreal what some people are capable of doing to other innocent people. I am so sorry for the tragedy that has happened to your countrymen, Wil. I will keep them in my thoughts and prayers.
What a tragedy to happen on such a grand occasion. Not that it ever should happen. The poor victims and their families.
I am so sorry. MB
Shocking news, isn't it. I think the word respect has no meaning for many people.
What a terrible day. Your Royal Family have always been so accessible, I do hope this won't change them. or your country's relaxed easy-going character.
It seems like the act of a man at the end of his tether, rather than a planned terrorist attack, thank goodness. Doesn't make it any less painful for the famillies of those who were killed though.
I am sorry for this to have happened. I saw it on our television set here yesterday, Wil.
It just shows there are lunatics all over the world and nobody is safe from the most unexpected kinds of harm from the least expected places.
Oh, my goodness, how absolutely horrible. I wonder what possessed him? Was he unhinged?
I hope the survivors will heal and recover OK. I suspect their mental scars will take the longest. :(
I just read about this at thyme's blog. So sad.
Hi R Wil,
Yes we saw the same on Queensday, and red the same , I really was (like you) in shock! A terrible accident, but the news after a few days is that its an individual person, (a sad man) he must be really in problems to do such a terrible thing.
coem see my exibition , soon coming in my hometown. what do you think of my photo's?
Greetings from JoAnn/Holland
Hope you're having a great week-end.
Wil I saw this on tv and it is really shocking, hubby being Dutch was really horrified by it all. What is the world coming to, between the fundamentalist killing of Theo v.Gogh and Pim Fortuyn's killing which was pretty nasty whatever one thought of his politics, not agreeable at all, but random acts of violence like this are so awful and the graphic images are so instantly relayed it must be awful for the families. These poor people were just enjoying a nice day. I spent one Koninginnedag in Zeeland and loved it as did the kids who were small, games on the street and kerkplein, and the rommelmarkt, and overal oranje! Coming from Ireland where orange has such political overtones that was really liberating to see the colour celebrated without sinister shades of violence associated with the Orange Order marches in Northern IReland. (That's a type of Freemason order for men, and is exclusively protestant and sectarian and very bigotedly anti-catholic). So no-one in Ireland outside the political divide would be overtly sporting orange even though it's in our flag. We have for too long been tainted by sectarian politics, I passionately despise them and prefer to stick to the more mainstream party like the Labour party.
I see the perpetrator of this atrocity died. So will anyone have deduced his motive? What was his reason to hate the royals, are there many republicans in The Netherlands? I wouldn't have thought there was much rabid republicanism there as most people seem to love the royal family.
Heb de beelden al zoveel maal gezien en nog steeds kan ik er met mijn verstand niet bij. Al die onschuldige slachtoffers en waarom?????
Groetjes
What a tragedy! My deepest condolences to the victim's family. May they rest in peace. Hopefully incidents like these will never happen again.
Heard about this the other day, but hadn't heard anything more about it. Of course I haven't had my tv on since Friday...
Thoughts and prayers go out to all involved.
Hopefully it won't mean the end of a wonderful tradition.
kayleen @ Nebraska Birding
How awful! Such a senseless tragedy...
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