Police in Utrecht have apologised to an anti-monarchy protestor arrested during a visit to the city by king Willem-Alexander and queen Máxima on Thursday.

The 29-year-old man was taken into custody after refusing to identify himself to police following what they said was a ‘minor incident’. On a YouTube film, the police officer is heard saying that the man, who was holding a cardboard placard, is ‘creating unrest’.

The man was released on his arrival at the police station when the duty officer said he had been wrongly held. It is not clear from the reports why the man was arrested, but police are supposed to have reason to ask for id papers.

Utrecht police hit the headlines earlier this year when they arrested a student who was protesting against the monarchy during a visit to the city by queen Beatrix.

The student, named Joanna van der Hoek, was also arrested during the investiture of king Willem-Alexander at the end of April. That arrest too was a mistake, police said later.

Earlier stories
Arrest of republicans during investiture a mistake
A placard saying ‘down with the queen’ won’t worry us
Anti-monarchy demos not ruled out during inauguration