At least one police officer, who was present when cops fired a number of shots during a tractor protest in Heerenveen on Tuesday evening, has been moved to an undisclosed location, the Leeuwarder Courant reports. The atmosphere around him “became too grim,” according to the paper.
The man lives in a village in the municipality of Opsterland. He left his home under police guard on Wednesday evening. His house was placed under protection on Thursday.
Friesland police confirmed that the law-enforcement agents opened fire after “an attempt had been made to drive into police officers and service vehicles on a road in Heerenveen at around 10:40pm.”
Omstreeks 22:40 uur is er door trekkerbestuurders geprobeerd in te rijden agenten en dienstvoertuigen. Dit gebeurde bij de oprit Mercurius/A32 in #Heerenveen. Er ontstond een dreigende situatie. Hierbij zijn waarschuwingsschoten gelost en er werd gericht geschoten.
— Politie Fryslân (@POL_Fryslan) July 5, 2022
According to the police, their shots hit a tractor, but no one was injured. Three farmers were detained, including Jouke Hospes, a 16-year-old boy from Akkrum. The next day, all the three suspects were released after a group of furious tractor drivers staged a protest outside the police headquarters in Leeuwarden.
The Friesland police refuse to disclose whether the police officer, involved in the Heerenveen incident, received any credible threats. However the shooting caused a storm of outrage on social media.
