Drunk Dutch veteran shouts during two minutes of silence in Breda

On Thursday evening, a drunk man disrupted the two minutes of silence held in a Breda park. The man shouted loudly during the Remembrance Day ritual, exclaiming that he was a veteran.

As people gathered in Breda’s Park Valkenberg to remember the victims of the war by holding two minutes of silence, the drunk man ran into the middle of the field and shouted that he had served as a soldier, Omroep Brabant reports. 

He shouted that during his time in the army, he had to do “things that even dogs wouldn’t like.”

An emergency service worker, tells Omroep Brabandt that before the commemoration, the man had walked around the park telling people that he was a veteran.

Two minutes of silence, not so silent

Every year in the Netherlands, the country falls silent on May 4 Remembrance Day (Dodenherdenking) to commemorate soldiers and civilians during World War II and other conflicts. 

Unfortunately, this Breda park’s two minutes of silence were quickly cut short by the man’s shouts. 

READ MORE | Two minutes of silence across the Netherlands: Remembrance Day

Once the man started shouting, an organiser of the commemoration tried to confront him — after which he only got louder. 

It’s safe to say those gathered in the park were left shocked. 

One member of the public took action and jumped on the man. Along with a police officer, they dragged him off the field and away from the gathering.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t just those at the park that saw this all go down —  the entire incident happened during a live broadcast… 

Editor-in-chief of the broadcaster, Tijmen Moelker from BredaNu, tells Omroep Brabant that “It happened very unexpectedly. The man walked into the frame. I think it took about 45 seconds.” 

After being taken to the police station, the man was fined and banned from entering the park. 

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Feature Image:Depositphotos
Naomi Lamaury
Naomi Lamaury
Naomi came to the Netherlands four years ago for her studies with two suitcases and without ever having been to the country or knowing much about it. Now, you can find her eating ‘bitterballen’ and fighting against the Dutch wind on her bike every day like a local. Naomi enjoys writing about what is going on around her alongside a warm cup of coffee.

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