Man Jumps from Public Gallery in Netherlands in Suicide Attempt
22 March 2018 20:26 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Amsterdam - A man was injured on Thursday, March 22, after jumping from the public gallery several meters above the floor of the Dutch parliament with something tied around his neck, according to police and local media.
The man survived and was receiving medical treatment, police said in a statement.
De Telegraaf newspaper quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the man had been pacing about in an agitated state before tying something to a railing and then jumping off.
The paper identified him as an activist who had camped outside parliament for several weeks in a demonstration for the legalization of hashish and marijuana.
Cannabis is technically illegal in the Netherlands, though it is widely available and police do not prosecute people for possession or sale of small amounts.
Website Nu.nl cited a parliamentary usher saying that the man had tried to hang himself.
A public video feed of the speakers' podium showed the shocked reaction of lawmakers after a loud thump before the session was postponed.
Photos on social media showed the man receiving first aid on a lawmaker's desk and later being carried out of parliament on a stretcher.
REUTERS
