[color="Navy"]Shoes thrown at Israeli military spokesperson in Amsterdam

Date: 23 / 02 / 2009

Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Four shoes were thrown at an Israeli army spokesperson on Sunday night in Amsterdam, according to a Dutch news agency.

Three members of the country’s International Socialists (IS) threw four shoes at Israeli army spokesperson Ron Edelheit, who was speaking at the city’s Apollo Hotel on Sunday.

About 50 protestors demonstrated against the event outside the hotel, the IS announced.

The shoe-throwers, students from Groningen and Leiden, have been arrested, according to the Nieuws Uit Amsterdam news agency.

The lecture was scheduled to take place at another hotel, the College Hotel, but the event was cancelled in response to protest emails and telephone calls.

The Centre for Information and Documentation on Israel said the cancellation was the result of threats, but the ANP news agency said police were not aware of threats.

Organizers of the meeting told another news agency that they stand “shocked that these anti-Israel groups want to muffle free speech in the Netherlands in this way.”