Racist slogans projected onto Rotterdam Bridge during New Year’s festivities

Text on the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam. Photo: Tobias Kleuver ANP

Rotterdam police show how they managed to project white supremacist slogans on the side of the Erasmus Bridge as racists celebrated New Year’s in the city just as the clock struck midnight. We are investigating.

Locals said they were shown several minutes of English text about “Happy White 2023,” “White Lives Matter,” and securing a future for white children. The text, known as “14 Words”, Caucasian isolation movement in the United States.

The main fireworks show was canceled, but hundreds of people were on the bridge to celebrate the New Year.

Dit is een shande! Gelukkig nieuwjaar aan ALLE mensen! #Erasmusburg #Rotterdam pic.twitter.com/4JONAdlJuN

— Colleen (@dutchcorine) December 31, 2022

Deputy mayor Ronald Buijt told the station the remarks were “offensive and divisive”. “These guys don’t deserve attention,” he said. “In Rotterdam, everyone is equal.”

Police initially said the footage came from a spokesperson for the fireworks event organizer told AD They then came from Wilhelmina Pia’s apartment.

“I’ve seen messages like ‘Happy New Year’ on the bridge in the evening, so I didn’t pay much attention,” he said. It wasn’t until the next morning, he said, that they heard what had happened.

“If we had known which apartment we would have paid more attention to,” he said.

Note: This text has been updated to reflect additional information about the text.